Sentinels
by BlueNinja0324
Summary: Life seemed to be going well for the people of Ooo. Including their beloved hero, Finn the Human. But unforeseen events lead him to a place beyond the boundaries of Ooo, where he must leave behind his old life to save those he cares about; and achieve redemption in the process.
1. Chapter 1: Rays of Sunshine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time. Just any OCs.**

 **Note: In this story Finn is 18.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Rays of Sunshine**

Whatever rays of sunshine entered through the window or whatever noise the birds made outside as they welcomed the morning, they were all irrelevant to Finn. All he could do was stare aimlessly at the wooden ceiling as he sat on a couch in his treehouse's living room. Jake was sitting next to him, talking about something that Finn could only make out as gibberish. The dog noticed the human's strange behavior and tilted his head.

"Finn?"

Finn didn't budge. His name was only a low echo as he kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling, looking at nothing in particular.

"Finn."

He slightly budged with having heard his name being called a bit louder, but it still didn't remove him from his trance. Jake stretched out his arm and snapped his fingers in front of Finn's eyes.

"FINN!"

The sudden shout brought the human back to his senses and caused him to look around the room. He was met with Jake, who was sitting next to him with an expression of confusion.

"What?" Finn asked.

"What do you mean 'What'? I've been talking to you this entire time. Have you been listening to anything I said?"

Finn sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was tired from being up so early in the morning, but at the same time he couldn't sleep properly. It had been that way for a while, and it had made him feel

"Sorry. My mind was somewhere else."

"Clearly. If anyone walked in here they'd mistake you for a zombie. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I am. I just need some coffee or something. Now, what were we talking about?"

Jake looked towards the ceiling and groaned in frustration.

"Lady's birthday is coming up in a week and I don't know what I should get her. I was hoping for some advice from you if you don't zone out again."

"Well, do you know about anything that she might want?"

"Nothing that she doesn't already have."

Finn raised both his legs and placed them on top of a small table in front of the couch.

"Do you even have to get her something? I'm sure she'd just appreciate it if you just remember it's her birthday."

"I just wanna get her something special. I wouldn't feel accomplished if I didn't."

"You mean like that 'special gift' you gave Jermaine on his fifth birthday?"

"That was an accident and you know it!"

"He got hot sauce in his eyes and was nearly left blind. He had to get his eyes flushed and it got us both grounded. And I wasn't even involved!"

"I was aiming for his mouth, it's not my fault he kept his eyes open while yawning. I was dumb back then."

"You're dumb now."

"We're getting off subject!"

Finn chuckled then put his feet back on the ground.

"I hate to tell you, but you're asking the wrong guy for this information. I'm just as bad at getting presents for people."

The dog looked irritated but began to lighten up after several seconds of silence.

"I guess you're right. Maybe I don't have to get her a present."

It was right then that there was a knock on the front door. Jake groaned in frustration and sank down on the couch.

"Who could that be?"

"I'll get it." Finn said.

He got up from the couch and went to open the front door. As soon as he did, he was met with a trumpet being played right in front of his face, causing his ears to ring. Once it was done, he groaned and began rubbing his ears.

"What the heck, man!"

Finn looked at who had blown the trumpet and saw a squire from the Fire Kingdom standing in front of him with the trumpet in his left hand and an unopened letter in his right. He held up the letter to Finn.

"A message from her majesty, the ruler of Fire Kingdom."

Finn grabbed the letter and eyed it. It was slightly yellow rather than the average white. There was a red stamp on the front to keep it shot and had Finn and Jake's names written on the back.

"From Flame Princess? What is it about?"

"I only deliver it, sir. This is exclusively for you."

"Thanks."

The squire bowed and began to walk away. As Finn began closing the door, he stopped and peeked his head out once more.

"And thanks for nearly leaving me deaf!"

He shut the door, not waiting for a response. He walked up to Jake as he continued to examine the letter.

"What's that?" the dog asked.

"A letter from Flame Princess."

Jake's eyes shot open and he instantly stretched next to Finn and shrunk down to sit on his shoulder.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it!"

Finn exhaled and removed the stamp from the envelope and pulled out the letter. It had Flame Princess's signature in the bottom written in red while everything else was in black. He read it out loud for Jake to hear as well.

 _Finn the Human and Jake the Dog,_

 _You are invited to attend the Flame King's 18_ _th_ _birthday._

 _The event shall take place today at 7:00pm._

 _Formal attire required._

While Jake had a big smile on his face Finn just kept staring at the paper. Specifically, FP's signature. He wanted to see her more than anything but he never thought she'd actually ask for him to come visit. But now, there it was, her asking for him. It was then he realized he had once again drifted away before Jake snapped his fingers in front of him again and shouted his name.

"Quit doing that!" Jake shouted in his ear.

"Sorry, it's just… I don't know if I should go."

Jake's mouth gaped open and he gasped.

"Who are you?! This is your chance to see her again and you're saying 'No'?"

"I don't know if I can face her. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms last time we met. That day was when I _really_ messed up with her. I still love her; but I don't know…"

Jake stretched back to his original size and placed both his hands on the sides of Finn's head.

"Listen to me. You are going to this party. Take my advice: go through the whole thing with you and Flame Princess as friends. Because that's all you two are right now. Don't try anything you'll regret and you'll be fine."

Finn closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Ok. Friends."

"Haha! Now, come on. We gotta get ourselves some nice outfits and get a present for her."

"What happened to the whole 'a present isn't necessary' thing?"

"This is different. This is your chance to get some closure and stop moping."

"I don't mope."

Jake just grunted and dragged Finn out the door to begin their preparations, despite the human's complaints.

* * *

It was 6:43 when Finn and Jake where on their way to Fire Kingdom. Finn was wearing a black suit with a black bow-tie and black gloves. He had left his bear behind because he thought it wouldn't be very fitting, showing his shoulder length hair. Jake, however, was more serious about his style.

He wore a black suit and bow-tie just like Finn, but he also wore a top hat and a monocle on his left eye. He was holding a brown cane on his right hand and a fake smoking pipe hanging from his mouth.

Because of the fact they were wearing suits, they had to walk all the way since Jake couldn't stretch to his big self. As they walked Finn turned to face his companion, who was walking with a straight posture.

"Dude, don't you think you may have overdone it?"

"No I don't. I gotta look classy."

Finn decided to not pursue the matter further. Trying to argue with Jake about fashion was like talking to a wall.

It wasn't much longer before the Fire Kingdom's outer wall came into view. The gate was left slightly open just enough for a person to squeeze through. Outside it, sitting on a small stone, was Flambo. The little guy was knowing on one of his paws until he saw Finn and Jake approaching and he stood up straight.

"Hey, Flambo." Finn greeted, "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you guys and give yous your flame shield."

He began chanting the spell and Finn and Jake were both covered in the blue shield. They said their thanks to Flambo before stepping into the kingdom.

The outside was mostly empty, save for a few flame people going about their business. The real commotion was coming from the palace, where the sound of music and people talking could be heard from a distance. Finn and Jake walked to the palace's entrance and were halted by two flame guards.

"Invitation." one of them said.

Finn reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the invitation. One of the guards examined it then gave it back.

"Alright, you're good. Head on in."

They both nodded as the guards opened the doors and they went inside.

The entire palace was packed with people, but not so much as to make it uncomfortable to move around. Everyone was wearing a suit and dress, in accordance to the party's formal attire request. There was a band standing on a small stage in a corner of the room, playing some classical music. There were several tables decorated with red sheets around the room, all holding different kinds of refreshments; though Finn doubted he could partake in any of them. FP's dad and Don John still sat inside their lantern prison which hung above the throne. Finn looked around but he couldn't find any signs of FP anywhere.

"It looks like we're the only non-elementals in here." Finn pointed out.

"Makes you feel a bit more special, doesn't it?"

As if by impeccable timing, another non-elemental walked up to greet them both. It was CB, wearing a suit as well while his lance hung from his back.

"Finn, Jake, you made it!"

"Hey, CB." Jake greeted back.

The pastry locked eyes at Jake and studied him before chuckling.

"Don't you think you may have overdone it?"

"That's what I said."

"You're both just jealous."

The three of them shared a brief laugh before Finn began looking around the room for Flame Princess.

"So, where's the birthday girl?"

"In her room getting ready. She should be out-" He was interrupted when the music came to a halt and trumpets began sounding. "-right now."

Everyone turned to the top of the staircase that led to the upper levels of the palace, where there stood a servant.

"Presenting our most esteemed and generous ruler!"

The trumpets sounded one more time before the Flame Princess appeared at the top of the stairs. Everyone cheered loudly for their beloved ruler, but Finn just stood motionless with his mouth hanging open as he admired the beautiful girl.

Her dress was similar to one she used to wear when she and Finn were dating, but this one was a lot more elegant and practically shined with the light focused on her. He paid little mind to the dress, however, as he focused more on the ruler herself.

Even from the distance, Finn could notice a gentle smile formed on her face. Her hair still stood in its candle form, as bright as ever. While there weren't many, he could notice several changes in her expression that made her seem more adult, which he thought only made her all the more beautiful.

She raised her hand and the crowd stopped its cheering.

"Thank you all for coming on this special occasion." Her voice was a bit deeper than Finn remembered it. "In all the time I have been your ruler, this kingdom has come far beyond my expectations. We have worked hard and come far, and now we are one of the most prosperous kingdoms in all of Ooo."

The crowd let out more cheers before they were silenced once again by the princess raising her hand.

"Today, we don't just celebrate me reaching a mature age; today we celebrate on behalf of this kingdom and all of its inhabitants. For it is you who has made all of this possible and sent us on a path to a better future for everyone. Let us rejoice!"

The crowd erupted into more cheers and the music began playing once more. Finn had a huge grin on his face as he saw the gorgeous elemental walk down the stairs and begin greeting her guests. Almost all of them were surrounding her, which made CB excuse himself to go and assist her. Once he was gone, Jake tapped Finn on the shoulder.

"A bug is gonna get stuck in your teeth if you're not careful."

Finn closed his mouth but still kept a smile on his face. It soon turned to fear, however, when he noticed FP was getting closer to them, though she hadn't seen them yet.

"Oh, Glob, dude. What do I say to her?"

"Just say 'Hi'."

He turned to the dog with a frown.

"Hi? I can't just say 'Hi'. She'll think I'm disinterested and don't actually want to be here. Which now that I find myself in this situation don't actually-"

He stopped his rant when he looked up and saw that she was standing right in front of him.

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 **Note: Not much to say about the story just yet, really. I'm not entirely sure how often I'll be able to update, but I plan on making each chapter a proper length.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Crimson Blade

**Chapter 2: The Crimson Blade**

Finn stood absolutely frozen in place. Flame Princess stood right in front of him with a warm smile on her face. She looked a lot more beautiful up close with her delicate features and crimson eyes. Neither of them said anything for what felt like an eternity to Finn. She was the one to speak first.

"Finn, you came!"

Her smile widened, making Finn begin to stagger with his words.

"Princess. I… you look… how… Hi."

He nearly slapped himself before she chuckled and gave him a hug. He was shocked at first but decided to return the gesture, wrapping his arms around her back.

"It's good to see again."

"You too. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." once they separated, she turned to Jake and eyed him for a few seconds before laughing. "Wow, Jake. Don't you think you may have overdone it with the outfit?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that? Don't I look classy?"

She laughed again, a sound that Finn thought he'd never hear again and made him feel better than anything else.

"So, Finn." she said, "I'm gonna go around and greet some of the other people. How about you meet me outside in a few minutes? I'd love to catch up."

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

She smiled then went back to greeting the rest of the guests waiting for her behind CB. Jake put his hand on Finn's shoulder and pulled him closer so he could hear.

"You're doing great."

"Are you kidding me? I-"

"Will you quit complaining? Go get some fresh air or something. You're cheeks are crazy red, even with the blue flame shield."

Finn sighed and did as the dog asked. He went outside and sat on a boulder near the palace's entrance, looking up at the stars that were starting to appear in the sky. As the minutes passed, the number of visible stars began to increase and Finn found himself lost in the sky's splendor. It was only briefly, however, since his thoughts kept returning to Flame Princess.

He always thought the time between them was over; and in a way, he still believed it. He was relieved they were still friends, of course, but he still felt empty inside not knowing if they could ever go back to the old days before they broke up. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the palace's doors be opened and she stepped out. He got up and jumped down from the boulder onto the ground below where she stood. He instantly noticed she seemed a bit tired.

"Hey." she greeted him as they began walking alongside each other.

"Hey. Are you alright? You seem…"

"I'm fine. I'm just glad to be away from the crowd. I was tired of having to be so sophisticated. At least out here I can unwind a bit."

"Are you not enjoying the party?"

"I don't wanna sound rude, but this entire thing was CB's idea. I never wanted a huge celebration. The only reason I actually agreed to it was because… I wanted this chance to speak with you."

"Heh, I highly doubt you needed to throw a party to get me to come here."

"Jake would say otherwise."

The human looked at her confused.

"What do you mean? What did he tell you?"

"Oh, nothing."

She had a suspicious grin on her face as she said it. Finn bowed that he would confront Jake later about it.

They both continued walking through the kingdom until they reached a small cliff which overlooked the kingdom's lava pits. Some of the pits would eventually fire lava upwards like a fountain, sending a bright light that illuminated the area around it. There were several benches near the edge of the cliff to overlook the beautiful scenery, which was made more breathtaking since it was nighttime. The two of them sat on one of the benches and just stared forward, waiting for the other to speak first. Finn mustered up his courage and decided to start.

"So, how have you been?"

"I've been good. I suppose you know from that embarrassing speech I gave earlier."

"It wasn't embarrassing, it was great! You've become a much better ruler than your father was."

She smiled and her cheeks grew slightly red.

"Thank you. It means a lot that you would think that."

"And I'm sure all of the fire people think it as well."

The conversation sized after that and they went back to their awkward silence. Finn took every chance he got to admire her whenever she looked at a different direction but quickly turned away when she looked at him. During this time, FP noticed something…off about Finn. He looked rather tired and distant, and he had several bags under his eyes, which she noticed he was trying to hide.

"Finn, are you sure you're doing ok?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"You seem sick."

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

The human noticed she wasn't convinced, and he mentally cursed for thinking he could actually lie to her. Not because it was illegal to do so, he just felt guilty for doing it. He sighed and turned towards the horizon, keeping his gaze away from her.

"I'm just really tired, ok? I haven't really slept properly these past few weeks. Jake says it'll pass but… I don't know."

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

Finn didn't know if he wanted to continue. There were multiple things keeping him up at night: his dad, The Lich somehow coming back, Orgalorg; though he didn't want to admit she was the biggest reason. The guilt of betraying her had haunted him at first, but it only got worse as more time went on.

"Look, princess, you don't need to worry about it."

"Finn…"

"I'm fine. Let's just go back to our talk. This is your birthday! It's about you, not me."

He could tell she was still unconvinced but didn't pursue the matter further. They spent the next few minutes talking about all the stuff that had happened in their lives during their time apart. Finn couldn't help but feel complete joy every time she laughed. It wasn't long before they went quiet again and just stared at the horizon.

Finn kept shifting gazes between her and the view, nervous to ask her something she would probably hate him for. He inhaled deeply and faced her.

"Princess?"

She turned her head to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering, after some time apart, what's your stance on… us?"

He was prepared to receive some sort of scolding from her, but instead, she remained silent. Her expression had now grown sad and her gaze drifted slightly from him. She sighed and held her hand with the other.

"I don't know. I mean, I do still care about you Finn, but… I've realized that our relationship is something that can never be. Not because I'm the ruler of this kingdom, but because it's just logical that we can't be together without hurting each other. I'm glad we at least tried, and we had really good times together, but we have to be with people of our own kind. I'm sorry."

Despite the fact that he was on the verge of crying, Finn could understand what she meant. As much as he hated it, he had to accept the fact that they would only hurt each other; and flame shield only lasts so long.

"You don't have to be sorry. Your people come first and that's understandable. As long as you're happy, I'm ok with anything."

"Thanks, Finn. That means a lot."

She smiled at him, which made him smile back.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Finn said as he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small box. "A present for you."

She grabbed the box and opened it, revealing a beautiful ruby necklace. The jewel was rectangular shaped and was surrounded by a golden base connected to a chain of the same color. She grabbed the chain and let the jewel hang in front of her face, where she admired its beauty with wide eyes as it glowed with the surrounding fire.

"Finn… it's beautiful."

 _Just like you._ "I wanted to get you something special. I suppose you could thank Jake as well since he helped me pick it out."

She put the chain over her head and put it around her neck. She smiled as she held the ruby in her hands and tilted it to see all of its details.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, FP."

She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which made him blush and put his hand on the spot she kissed.

"Call me Phoebe."

Finn's eyes widened for a moment before he grew a smile on his face.

"I like that name." they both smiled at each other, then Finn stood up, "We better head back. Everyone will wonder where we are."

She sighed sadly knowing their time to hang out was over.

"Alright."

She stood up and the two started walking back to the palace; Finn smiling at Phoebe while she admired the necklace. Finn knew he would be getting a good night's sleep tonight.

* * *

The rest of the night was spent as expected. Phoebe spent most of her time talking with her guests while Finn and Jake hung out with each other as they listened to the music being played. It was nearly midnight when the last of the guests had left, leaving only Finn, Jake, Phoebe, CB, and a few flame guards.

"That was a fun party, FP." Jake said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope we can hang out more often."

"Just let us know." Finn said.

"I definitely will. You know, we could-"

She was interrupted by the sound of clashing metal and shouts coming from outside. All of the guards readied their spears and pointed them towards the entrance.

The sounds kept getting louder, and they could make out the shouts as screams of anguish. Finn, Jake, CB, and Phoebe readied themselves; CB with his lance, Phoebe with a flame sword that she formed in her hand, and Finn with his Finn Sword, which he pulled out of the back of his suit.

"You had that the entire time?" CB asked.

"Aren't you glad I did?"

The door opened and a flame guard came in, panting. His right arm was bleeding and had a gash on his left leg.

'What's going on out there?" Phoebe asked.

"Your Majesty, we're being-"

Suddenly, the door burst open, stunning all of them and killing the guard that was standing in front of it. The entire room was covered with smoke, which made it difficult to see what was happening. Finn looked around the room quickly to see that the flame guards were being taken out one by one by a strange figure moving at incredibly fast speeds. When the smoke cleared, Finn and the others were left staring at the man who killed all the guards.

The only features they could make out was the top half of his face. His skin was pale and he black hair that reached his neck. His eyes were red and a mask covered the entire bottom half of his face and ears. The rest of his body was covered in armor that they had never seen before. It was all black and appeared to be made of metal. A red exoskeleton surrounded the outer part of the armor. There was a symbol of a red lion head on his shoulder guards.

He began to walk slowly towards the group, waving around the katana in his hand, which had a fully red blade and black grip. The group raised their weapons even more as he got closer. He stopped just a few feet away and chuckled.

"Hello." his voice was distorted on account of his mask. "I apologize for the rude entry. Allow to introduce myself," he bowed mockingly, "I am Cypher. Charmed."

"I don't care who you are, we're still gonna kill you!" Finn yelled.

Cypher just laughed and ran his fingers against his blade, sending a few sparks flying off it.

"Come now, is that any way to treat a guest?"

Phoebe raised her hand and shot a fire bolt at him, which he easily dodged by sidestepping out of the way. He then dashed towards the group, causing Finn to raise his sword and deflect the incoming blow. Once their swords separated, Cypher kicked Finn away then sliced at Jake, who stretched out of the way then threw a punch at him. He easily dodged the hit then sliced at Jake's lower arm, which caused the dog to jump back as he nearly got his stomach sliced as well.

Cypher was caught off guard for a brief moment by CB and Phoebe as they both jumped at him at the same time. He grabbed CB's lance with his left hand and deflected Phoebe's sword with his own. It was only a second before he saw Finn's sword slicing at him from the side, causing him to jump backwards and have his sword meet with the human's once again.

The two of them continued to slash at each other with great speed. While Finn moved his entire body, Cypher only moved his arm, being able to block every strike with incredible ease. He locked his sword with Finn's and he spun around him, catching the human off guard and kicking him in the back. While Finn was stunned by the attack, Jake made another attempt at attacking, which ended with more slashes around his arms and thighs.

"Man, this guy's fast!" Jake shouted.

CB charged at him from the front while Phoebe flew at him from above. He sidestepped from CB's attack then swung his leg upwards, hitting Phoebe on the side and sending her tumbling to the ground. He then ran towards CB, dodging another one of his attacks before ramming his sword through the pastry's chest. Everyone's eyes widened as CB dropped his lance on the ground with a loud _clang_ and then dropping to the floor.

"CB!" Phoebe shouted.

She instantly got up and dashed towards Cypher with another sword slash. He blocked it, only to be nearly be caught off guard by another attack from Finn. Cypher slashed towards the human then turned back to Phoebe as she ran towards him again. This time, he grabbed her from the neck and pulled her up into the air, causing her to flail from the lack of oxygen.

Finn's eyes widened as Cypher's had some red electricity bolts run through it and a shock of pain was sent through Phoebe's entire body, causing her to scream in agony. Once it was done, her powers died down and she no longer glowed. He threw her away and she landed a few meters ahead on the ground. He barely had time to study his doing before Finn and Jake both attacked him at once. He jumped out of the way, reaching an impossible height of ten feet before landing once again.

"You're gonna pay for that, you bastard!" Finn shouted as he and Jake ran towards Cypher.

Once again, their attacks seemed to have no effect on him as he blocked every blow with ease. Once they were both stunned, he grabbed Jake from the neck and repeated the same process he did with Phoebe, causing the dog to scream and drop to the ground unconscious. Finn only lasted several seconds longer before Cypher hit him in the head so hard it caused his vision to blur and he was kicked away before falling on the ground.

Cypher looked around him, admiring his handy work, before chuckling and putting his hand against his ear.

"Alright, do it."

A few seconds later, the roof of the palace burst open and a blinding white light appeared through the hole. Finn was still dizzy from the hit he received but was able to make out some of what was happening.

From the hole in the roof jumped six identical figures, landing hard against the ground without a scratch. Each one had brown metal and small steel swords sheathed on their waists. Their helmets were small and stretched backwards, making Finn wonder how any living being could fit their head in them. They had lean fully white eyes on each side of the head.

"What are your commands, sir?" one of them said.

Their voices were heavily distorted, which made Finn realize they were actually robots.

"You," Cypher pointed to four of them, "deal with anyone still breathing. And you," he pointed to the other two, "right here." he pointed towards a specific spot on the floor.

Two of them knelt on the floor and began cutting a large circle in the ground while the other four were finishing off fire soldiers that were still squirming.

"We'll take them with us. They could be useful." Cypher said as he pointed towards Phoebe, Finn, and Jake.

Once the two robots who were cutting finished, they grabbed the piece of floor and lifted it away to reveal a hole in the ground. From the hole in the ceiling then dropped two hooks connected to black ropes, which they grabbed and jumped down the hole.

Cypher walked up next to the throne and pulled a small, well-hidden lever. Then the lantern holding Flame King and Don John dropped to the ground. It opened and the two stood shaking on front of Cypher.

"Please don't kill us! We haven't done-" Flame King's pleading was stopped by Cypher shocking him and knocking him unconscious.

"Shut up! You're still of use." he then turned to Don John. "You, however, you're disposable."

"No! Please, I-"

Cypher quickly dashed forward and pierced his blade through Don John's chest. He fell to the ground and gasped for several seconds before remaining completely still.

Once the other robots finished, they walked up to Jake and began to handcuff him. Phoebe could be heard groaning on the floor. Cypher walked to her and pulled her by her hair, causing her to shout.

"Don't worry. You'll have plenty of fun with us."

His grip on her failed when Finn swung his sword towards him, causing him to jump back. Once he landed, he ran his hand through his mask and felt a little scratch on it. He looked at the human with narrow eyes as he took stance in front of Phoebe.

"You're not taking her."

Cypher chuckled before he instantly dashed towards Finn and their swords locked with each other. Once again, Cypher barely struggled with fighting. Finn shouted before swinging his sword before it came to a sudden halt. His eyes widened when he saw Cypher had grabbed it with his left hand.

"You fight well." he said before breaking the sword in half without any effort, leaving Finn shocked.

Everything after that was blurry to Finn. His breath was uneven, his strength weaved, and he felt a sharp pain through his whole body. It was then that he looked down and saw that Cypher had run his blade through his chest.

"FINN!" Phoebe shouted as she tried running towards him, only to be held back by one of the robot soldiers.

Cypher retracted his blade and Finn fell to his knees, holding his wound with his hand as his broken sword fell to the ground. Cypher knelt in front of him while looking at his sword, which shined even more with Finn's blood on it.

"Not well enough, however."

Finn fell to the ground on his back, blood covering his lips as it shot from his mouth with each cough.

Cypher then walked over to Phoebe, who had long streams of tears running down her eyes. He passed his hand across his blade and wiped it against her cheek, covering it with the human's blood, then wiped the rest of the blade on her dress. Their attention turned back to the hole in the ground as something began to be pulled up by the ropes.

Phoebe's eyes widened when she saw it was the last Fire Giant from the vault beneath the keep. The two robots that jumped down after it were now riding up on top of it as it ascended. All of the others grabbed Jake and Flame King and grabbed on to extra ropes that dropped from above, along with what seemed to be the body of a banana guard from the Candy Kingdom, which landed next to Finn as he watched Phoebe get taken away.

She kept shouting his name over and over until it was just an echo in Finn's ears and the blinding light disappeared, along with her.

Silence. There was nothing but silence after that. As Finn drew his last breaths he saw the bodies of CB and all the flame guards lying motionless around him. His heard turned back upwards and caught a small glimpse of something.

Peeking through the hole in the ceiling, a mysterious figure jumped down and landed next to Finn without a single scratch. As his vision began to blur, what Finn could only make of the stranger was a set of shining armor and piercing green eyes. The stranger put his hand to his ear and spoke in a distorted voice.

"Sir, I found him. He's in pretty bad shape." Finn could tell it was a man. "Roger that."

The man knelt above Finn and he could hear him say one more thing before his vision faded to black.

"You're coming with me, Rookie."

* * *

 **Note:** **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't usually do this but I'm gonna start replying to reviews. I figure it would allow me to interact more with you guys.**

 **Ooobserver: Thanks for reviewing. I always try to make the personalities of the characters as close to the show as possible but I don't shy away from changing them a bit depending on the mood of the story.**

 **ozfanncy: I'm glad you're interested. And I will keep writing.**


	3. Chapter 3: Alone

**Chapter 3: Alone**

Phoebe didn't know where she was nor did she care to find out. The only thought racing through her head as the bed she laid on was being pushed down a dark narrow hallway was Finn lying dead on the ground. She wanted to deny he was dead, with all her heart, but she knew otherwise.

Her eyes were blurry; not just from the tears in her eyes, but because she was regaining consciousness after being knocked out shortly after being kidnapped. Her royal dress had been taken away and replaced with a short white ragged dress. The only thing they hadn't taken was the necklace Finn had given her, which she wanted nothing more than to grip it in her hands if they weren't strapped to the bed along with her legs.

The bed went through a set of double doors and came to halt. Phoebe couldn't see the person who was with her as he undid the bindings and picked her up. Even with her hands loose she couldn't move a muscle. The man placed her on a chair in the center of the dark room she was in, save for a light right above her.

She was strapped to the chair with her hands placed on the handles and her legs tied to the chair's legs. Once the man finished, he left and closed the door behind him without uttering a single word. It was about twenty minutes later that Phoebe's vision began to clear and her senses returned to her.

The room was circular shaped and had all kinds of stuff placed on tables pushed against the black walls: microscopes, syringes, saws, knives, and all kind of things that made it look like a torture chamber; which she began to feel it was.

She began to shift in the chair in an attempt to break free from her binds but to no avail. She tried to burn the straps but her powers were still weakened and her skin was cold. She kept looking around the room for anything that might cut her loose. At first she thought about using one of the knives on the table, but the chair was nailed to the ground preventing her from moving.

She stood motionless for what felt like hours, looking down at the floor as tears refused to stop falling from her eyes. Without warning, or without any reason that she could make out, she began to sob.

She hated everything that was going on. How she had been taken from her kingdom, how she allowed her guards to meet such gruesome fates, and how CB was met with death protecting her. But of all those losses, none cut her deeper than Finn's. Again, she kept telling herself that the human was still alive in an attempt to calm her senses, but it only worked to worry her about what fate _she_ would meet.

' _Finn…'_

She was removed from her thought and her gaze shot upward when the door opened and someone stepped in. The darkness of the room made it difficult to see the person's expression but she could still make out some features.

The man appeared to be in his late 60s or early 70s. His skin was tan and he had white hair that reached his shoulder but had a bald spot at the top of his head. His matching beard was reached his lower neck and was a tangled mess, as if he had never brushed it. He wore black goggles over his eyes that were held in place by a strap around his head.

His attire was a white lab coat with a pair of long black gloves and boots. He began walking towards Phoebe and he leaned in front of her. She cringed when he smiled, showing he was missing most of his teeth.

"Ah, they've brought me a new one. How exiting! We're going to have fun, you and I."

His voice sounded like what you'd expect from someone of his age. Phoebe leaned her head back and spat at the man.

"I'm not your plaything!"

He wiped the spit from his face but seemed unfazed.

"Persistent one, aren't you? Well, don't worry. We'll fix that eventually."

He stepped back from her and went to one of the tables. He rummaged through all of the equipment until he exclaimed happily when he found what looked like a laser gun; at least from what she'd seen Princess Bubblegum using.

He began to walk back towards her with a huge grin on his face as he held the gun in his hand. Right before he did anything, however, the door opened and someone stepped in. This time it was a woman.

Phoebe couldn't make out any features on her face aide from her long black hair. Her left eye was covered by some sort of eyepatch with a blue light over it. Her outfit was black and appeared to be metal, just like Cypher's. She had a strange stick strapped to her left hip, which made Phoebe confused as to what it could be used for.

"Doctor Terrance," she said, "how's our new subject?"

"I was just about to start the tests."

Phoebe saw the blue light of her eye patch turn towards her and she chuckled.

"Pretty little thing, aren't you?"

Phoebe replied with a growl, which only made her chuckle again. Her gaze went back to the man, whose name Phoebe now knew was Terrance.

"You may do what you must to achieve positive results. But remember, Cypher would prefer it if she remained alive. We wouldn't want to clean up another mess."

"Yes, Nadia. I will-"

His words were cut off when she pulled the stick and a glowing green whip was formed with it. She swung it forward and wrapped it around his Terrance's neck, sending up a small column of smoke from the apparent heat. He kept gasping for air as he tried to get a grip on it.

"When Cypher isn't here, you will refer to me as 'Ma'am'. Am I understood?"

Terrance choked a bit more before replying.

"Yes… Ma'am."

The whip disappeared back into the grip and Terrance began to gasp for air as he gripped his slightly burned neck.

"Good. I'll leave you to your work."

She turned around and gave one more glance at Phoebe before leaving. She had remained quiet for the entire argument as she stared in disbelief at what she saw. With all the technology they possessed, she began to lose any hope of leaving this place. She doubted she would ever see the light of day again.

Once Terrance recovered from the shock, he picked up the gun again and walked towards Phoebe. He pointed the device to her head and grinned once more.

"Are we ready to begin?"

Phoebe shot one more enraged stare at him.

"One day you're all gonna pay for this. I swear it."

* * *

Jake had been sitting on the cold hard ground for the better part of an hour trying to figure out what to do. After waking up from being knocked out, he found himself inside what looked like a prison cell with glass on the doorway rather than metal bars. The walls were made of polished steel and there was no furniture whatsoever. On the other side of the glass was a long empty hallway that eventually led to complete darkness.

He tried growing in size, punching the glass, looking for any sort of small crack that he could shrink through; nothing. The entire cell was indestructible.

He had started out worried, but the worrying was slightly blocked by the boredom of sitting in such a small space for such a long time. His worries came back when, somehow, the hallway outside the cell began to go downward. Or more likely: the cell was moving up.

' _Where are they taking me? Ugh! I have to get out and find Finn."_

The cell continued going up for several minutes before it stopped inside a large round chamber.

It was lit up by several lights hanging from the ceiling but it was still rather dark. There was no other way out except for large metal doors on the other side of the room. The glass on Jake's cell opened and he was able to step outside.

The emptiness of the room made Jake's footsteps echo every time he moved forward. He looked around for any possible escape route, but there was still nothing that could help him. He covered his ears when there was a loud static sound and a voice could be heard through the speakers on the walls.

"Hello, Jake."

Jake instantly grew angry. He recognized the voice.

"Cypher! Come out here and meet my fist face-to-face!"

He chuckled and his voice echoed across the room, which served only to make Jake even angrier.

"We both know who would win. It's already been proven. Especially since I managed to kill the great 'Hero of Ooo'. I pity all of you for relying on such a wimp."

Jake's eyes widened in shock. His legs began shaking and was about to drop to the floor before he growled and shook his head.

"You're lying! Finn is still alive and he's gonna tear you a new one when he finds you, if I don't find you first!"

"Think whatever you like if it makes you feel any better. Now, let's see if you're _really_ worth keeping alive."

Jake drew his gaze to the large metal doors, which began slowly opening with a loud creaking sound. He waited with his fists raised for whatever came out. Once they fully opened, revealing the darkness on the other side, there was nothing but silence. Jake lowered his guard and began walking forward, thinking that they wanted him to go forward.

He was able to move forward only a few feet before a white blast of energy came out of the doorway, causing Jake to jump out of the way as it blew a small crater in the wall. He turned back to the doorway and turned his hands into a sword and an axe as he witnessed what had attacked him.

It was at least nine feet tall. Its body was made entirely of metal and had gears on the elbows and knees. Its head was square shaped and had spikes pointing forward from its chin. It had four eyes, two on each side, which glowed white. There were spikes on its shoulders and had four tubes protruding from its back that blew out smoke once in a while. What really got Jake's attention was its fists, which were basically just wreaking balls attached to its arms.

"Meet Gex." Cypher said through the speaker. "A prototype that we haven't really gotten the chance to test properly. This is the perfect time to do so."

Gex pounded its fists against each other and smoke came out of the tubes on its back, causing a loud train whistle like sound. It began to charge Jake before he was able to dodge out of the way once more.

Jake barely had any time to reorient himself before Gex was right in front of him and swung its right arm downward. Jake dodged again as it hit the floor, creating a large crack. Jake took the chance to make his fist grow and punch Gex in the face, which made the machine stagger back from the hit but otherwise regained its balance quickly. It began charging Jake again with unnatural speed, managing to hit Jake on his left arm as he moved away. It charged until it hit the wall, but quickly recovered and ran back towards Jake.

Jake tried growing to a size bigger than Gex but felt a sharp pain across his entire body as bolts of electricity raced around him, forcing him to shrink back down. He was able to move out of the way just in time before Gex slammed his left arm down towards him.

"Ah, ah, ah." Cypher said. "That wouldn't be very fair, would it?"

"Since when do you care about playing fair?!" Jake said as he dodged another swing.

"I fought nearly everyone back at the Fire Kingdom on my own. In a way, I'd say that wasn't fair. Even though it was pretty easy."

He laughed after he finished.

Jake instead grew to a size equal to Gex and began to throw punches at the machine. They kept repeating the same process over the next few minutes, each of them throwing punches at each other at an attempt to overpower the other. While Jake was able to hit Gex more times, the machine's hits were more damaging and he was growing weak from all the bruises.

Gex swung his right arm sideways to hit Jake, but the yellow dog stretched underneath it and wrapped his body around the limb. Gex shook his hand furiously while hitting Jake with the other, but he would not let go. He mustered all his energy and wrapped his entire body around the arm, squeezing it as hard as he could. It took several painful minutes of Gex hitting Jake and shaking its arm furiously before it began to come loose from the pressure.

Jake felt like he was about to pass out. While his powers were able to keep him damaged mostly on the outside, he could feel several bones being broken and there was blood coming out of his nose and mouth. He summoned his remaining strength and yelled at the top of his lungs as he managed to rip off Gex's entire right arm, causing oil to leak onto the floor and make steam come out of its tubes in frustration.

Jake unwrapped himself from the arm as soon as it hit the floor. He made himself big again and grabbed Gex's detached arm with both hands and ran towards the robot. It had barely any time to react as Jake swung the arm towards it and hit the right side of its face, making bend and sending it tumbling towards the ground.

Jake felt a sense of relief that now he could make some progress, but it was short lived as Gex quickly got back up and ran towards Jake with its remaining arm in the air. Jake held the arm horizontally and blocked the attack, which nearly broke the arm in half from the force. He was able to push the machine again and this time hit it on the left hip.

The fight continued for several minutes as Jake continued to block and dodge Gex's attacks while also using the dismembered hand to deliver his own attacks. It wasn't long before Gex was so damaged that it could barely even walk. Jake sized the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the head, which sent it flying off its body and hit the wall. Its body remained standing for a few seconds before it finally plummeted to the ground, making it shake violently.

Jake dripped its limb on the ground and shrunk back to his original size, taking deep breaths as he fell to the floor on his side from exhaustion and pain. There was nothing but complete silence aside from the crackling sound that eventually came from Gex's body. Jake was about to pass out but was kept awake by the sound of the doors opening, revealing Cypher.

Jake growled and attempted to stand up but ended up landing back on the ground. Cypher walked over to Gex and examined the downed robot with his arm running across his chest and his other supporting his chin.

"Hmm. Needs a bit more tweaks." afterwards he walked towards Jake and knelt down next to him. "Impressive, dog. You'll do nicely."

Jake couldn't utter a single sound as he went unconscious once more.

* * *

Finn's eyes felt heavy the next time he regained consciousness. It took him a while for his eyes to flutter open; and when they did, all he saw was a blinding white light above him. He could've sworn he was dead until his senses started to come back and he felt himself lying on a soft bed. The warm feeling lasted seconds, however, as he felt a sharp pain across his chest and back. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he groaned and began looking around.

He was inside a small room, which looked like a hospital room. The walls were white and there was medical equipment placed on small tables besides the only two beds and the door leading out. The other bed was empty and looked just like Finn's: light green sheets and metal tubes on the side. Beside his bed was a horizontal metal tube with a small bag hanging from it with what Finn assumed was blood. It was connected to his arm through a small tube and was nearly empty.

His clothes had been taken, now replaced with a white robe that covered his upper body while his legs were exposed. He shivered as he took notice that the room was cold.

He groaned as he attempted to get up from the bed, only for the pain in his chest and back to increase greatly. He kept trying multiple times but ended up just dropping down on the bed again from the pain. The only thing he could focus on was Phoebe and Jake as they were taken away; and still he kept trying to stand up.

His final attempt, in which he was able to get to a sitting position, ended with him shouting loudly before dropping down again. He cursed as he decided to give up. It was clearly he wasn't moving any time soon, which only infuriated him more.

' _I have to find them. I have to.'_

He took a deep breath and was about to try again before the door to the room opened and a woman stepped inside.

She wore a white button shirt with white pants. Her face was covered by a mask and her hair was underneath a white cap. As she approached the bed, the only feature Finn could make out were her eyes, which were hazel. She placed a hand on Finn's head, which felt cold.

"You still have a fever. How do you feel?"

"Please, I can't stay here. I have to find Jake and Flame Princess. Where are-" he winced as she placed her hand on his chest.

She kept repeating the process over and over, making Finn wince each time. She then opened the upper front part of his robe and studied his chest, which had a horizontal scar near the right breast. There were no stitches, which made Finn confused as to how they could've closed it. She ran her hand over it again.

"You're not going anywhere in your state. A few more inches and the blade would've pierced your heart. I have to check the one on your back as well."

She went over to one of the tables and she grabbed a small syringe, which she filled with a clear liquid. She tapped on it a few times and pressed against the pump and bit of it shot out, then made her way back to Finn's bed.

"This should help with the pain."

Before Finn could argue, she injected the needle into his arm and his vision began to blur. He kept shaking his head furiously to not pass out.

"I have to find them! Please!"

She placed her hand on his forehead again.

"It's ok. You're safe now."

By then he lost the energy to do anything and his vision went black.

* * *

 **Fiery Crusader: I'm glad you liked it. I always want to make it seem like a villain can always pose a real threat. Unlike some villains who turn out to be really easy to defeat at the end. (*cough* Alduin *cough*)**

 **Ooobserver: Stand he will. And answers we'll get. Soon.**


	4. Chapter 4: High Above

**Chapter 4: High Above**

Finn was standing on a large field of hills of grass which stretched as far as the eye could see. He looked around in confusion, with the last thing he remembered was lying on a hospital bed. His clothes were the same as before, and he felt as if nothing about him had changed at all. The only thing out of place was that he didn't know where he was.

' _Am I dead?'_ was the first thing that came to his mind.

He wouldn't be surprised. Aside from getting stabbed, he was in a place filled with people whom he didn't have a clue what they were doing to him. Seeing no other alternative, he started walking in a random direction over the green hills.

Every time he reached the top of one of the hills, he would look around to see if he could spot anything at all, but each direction just led to a horizon that seemed to have no end. Minutes turned to hours, at least Finn thought they were hours, as he continued to endlessly walk, somehow not running out of breath. It was then that he stopped when he noticed a shadowy figure standing on top of one of the hills in the distance.

He wasted no time and began running towards it. Strangely, it was then that he began to run out of breath as he got closer. The figure didn't seem to be moving anytime soon so he decided to cut back on the speed. After what felt like a marathon, he finally reached the base of the hill where the figure stood looking in the opposite direction.

It was a girl. She had brown hair that reached her back and was flowing with the gentle breeze. She wore an elegant blue dress, and appeared to be holding a sunflower in her hand. She kept plucking the little yellow leaves as she hummed a gentle melody that Finn found rather hypnotizing. Her voice was very soft and gentle and it beckoned for him to slowly walk closer to her.

Once he was just behind her, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, only for a cloud of smoke to suddenly surround her and Cypher appeared in her place, holding his red katana in his hand.

Finn was able to jump back fast enough before he was stabbed. He reached behind him and pulled out a steel sword that he never remembered having, but shrugged it off as he blocked another attack. To Finn's surprise, Cypher wasn't as hard to fight as before. He was having as much trouble blocking Finn's attacks, but that still didn't keep him from being a ruthless opponent.

Finn was caught off guard when Cypher pushed him back and just stood motionless. He wasted no time and charged him while pointing his sword towards his chest. When he came inches from contact, Cypher was enveloped by smoke before Finn felt something be impaled against his sword.

Once the smoke cleared, Finn was completely terrified when he saw Cypher was gone, now replaced with… Jake.

The dog stood motionless before falling to the floor along with Finn, barely clinging on to life as he lost a lot of blood. The human had tears running down his entire face and began to shout, but nothing came from his mouth. Just silence. Jake then suddenly shifted forms and the Cosmic Owl was now in front of Finn. He let out a loud screech before everything went black.

* * *

Finn opened his eyes and let out a loud gasp. He was still lying on the same bed as before and the pain on his chest and back had receded, but was not gone completely. At least now he could sit up straight on the bed, despite feeling a bit uncomfortable. He looked around the room and saw that everything was still the same as before except there was no blood bag injected into Finn's arm anymore. None of it mattered, however. He still needed to find Jake and Phoebe. He took several deep breaths before he began to get up from the bed.

The pain was still there, no doubt, but it didn't make it impossible to move. Once he placed his feet on the floor he was hesitant to stand up and trigger the pain once more.

' _I've wasted enough time as it is. I have to get out of here.'_

He pushed himself up from the bed and groaned as the pain returned. To his relief, it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated and was able to stand on his two legs. He walked a few inches forward and a few inches backwards to test out his mobility. While he could only walk slowly, he could walk nonetheless.

He looked around the room and saw some clothing lying on top of one of the tables, which he didn't remember being there before. There was a plain blue shirt with blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers. Finn was hesitant to waste time changing but he wasn't gonna get anywhere walking around in robes. He decided to grab the clothing and went inside a small bathroom where he washed his face on the sink before removing his robe.

He looked at himself in the mirror and was able to see the scars on his chest and back more clearly. Each one was only a few inches long, but they were clearly visible to anyone who was standing a few feet away. He ran his hand through the one on his chest, which didn't hurt as much as when the nurse did it; at least Finn hoped it was a nurse. He shrugged it off and put on the clothes, which ended up fitting perfectly to Finn's surprise.

When he walked out of the bathroom, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a man standing in front of the door out of the room.

His appeared to be not much older than forty. His face was pale and was covered with a nicely kept black beard and black hair tied in a small ponytail. His nose was slightly angled. He wore a black trench coat that reached his knees. There was a patch on his shoulder which had a symbol of a white wolf howling upwards with two crossed swords behind it. His pants and boots were also black. He had both his hands behind his back in a gentlemanly manner as he looked at Finn with his dark brown eyes, which from afar looked almost black. But of all those features, there was one that stood out the most to Finn:

He was Human!

Finn could only stare with wide eyes as the man formed a light smile and began walking towards him, still keeping his hands behind his back. Once he was but a few inches from Finn, he spoke a calm and collected voice.

"Good to see you are up and about. We were worried we were too late when you were brought here. In fact, we were. We had to use defibrillators on you a few times. Afterwards you were unconscious for two days."

Finn was still wide eyed.

"You-you're human!"

The man grew a confused expression but then his smile returned.

"Ah, right. You've only seen very few of us on Earth; and you're confused if they even _were_ humans. But I can assure you, there's more of us than you might think." he remained quiet as he waited for a response but none came. "But where are my manners? My name is Victor Strauss. Pleasure to meet you in person."

Finn stuttered but was able to regain his senses.

"Uh, I'm Finn."

"Yes, I know very well who you are. We've been watching you for some time now, and I gotta say: we're quite impressed."

"We?"

Victor pulled out on of his hands and gestured through to the door out.

"If you come with me, all of your questions will be answered."

Finn was hesitant at first, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice. If anyone could help him save Jake and Phoebe right now, it was Victor. He nodded and the two made their way out of the room.

To Finn's surprise, they weren't in a hospital. The hallway outside went either left or right. The walls were made of steel and were colored light brown. There were several people walking through the hallway, all dressed in white and wearing masks; though Finn assumed they were all human as well on account of what little skin was visible. There were lights on the ceiling but they were turned off on account that the hallway was being lit by the sunshine coming the rows of windows on one side of the walls. Finn went near one of them and saw a plain of grass and trees on the outside. Before he could investigate further, Victor began walking towards the right, making Finn follow.

The hallway stretched for several meters before it went left, to which Finn and Victor ran into a group of four people. They were all marching in sync and were holding double bladed staffs with both hands. They wore black metal armor with helmets covering their faces. All of the helmets were the same: round and slightly angled at the chin with a V shaped visor in the front covered with dark blue glass to allow them to see. They each had a symbol of a large tree on their shoulder guards.

Once the group reached Finn and Victor, they stood straight and held their staffs with their left hand while placing their right hand against their chests in a fist.

"Sentinel." they all said in unison.

Victor returned the gesture by giving a slight bow. The group went back to their normal stances and went on their way. The entire time, Finn was confused.

"What did they call you?"

Victor didn't reply. Instead, he kept walking. Finn followed him until the end of the hall where they stepped inside a small elevator and started going down several floors until they reached the first. Once it stopped, the doors opened and they stepped into what appeared to be the main room.

The room was large and appeared to be a lobby _and_ some kind of security checkpoint. There was a large desk with several women wearing black uniforms with the same symbol as the guards that they ran into earlier, which there were also a few standing guard around the room. The desk was pointing towards the main entrance to the building, which led to the grassy fields Finn saw earlier through the window. On each side of the desk were two metal arches which people passed through to reach a large staircase that on the other side. The stairs led to multiple doors to the upper levels and there was another set of doors in between the stairs.

"What is this place?" Finn asked as he continued to look at all of the other humans.

"It's better if I show you. It'll be quite difficult to explain with words."

Victor led Finn to another elevator on the other side of the room, which was guarded by two guards. They saluted him and he placed his hand against a small panel on the wall where the buttons should be. His hand was scanned and a female voice spoke through a small speaker.

" _Sentinel leader: Victor Strauss. Access granted."_

'Sentinel'. The same word from earlier hadn't left Finn's mind. The door to the elevator opened and they stepped inside, going even farther down. Once it opened, they were now inside a large hangar.

The hangar stretched out for a full hundred meters on either direction and was filled to the brim with all kinds of aircraft. Some of them were flying in and out through a big opening at the end of the hangar, making the entire room echo with their engines. There were people working with the aircraft, dressed in orange vests and wearing headphones to protect their ears from the sound of engines. Finn thought they would be underground with how much they went down, but to his confusion, all he saw at the exit to the hangar was the sky and the clouds.

Victor began walking towards one of the nearby aircrafts while Finn followed close behind. The aircraft he walked up to looked like some of the crashed helicopters Finn had seen across Ooo, but this one was kind of different. Rather than the blades being positioned on top and on the tail of the chopper, there were two small ones placed on top of the wings to the sides and another underneath the tail. The entire front was made of glass to allow the pilots full view of the surroundings and had a few turrets right underneath. There were doors underneath each wing to allow entrance into the aircraft.

"Soldier." Victor said towards a young man working on the chopper, who instantly got up and saluted.

"Sir."

"At ease. Is this VTOL ready to fly?"

"Yes, sir. She's fully fueled and her weapons were restocked."

"Very good. You are dismissed."

The man nodded and ran off to assist with the other aircrafts. Finn walked over to Victor as he opened the door to the VTOL.

"People rally seem to respect you."

"Well, they do have their reasons for it."

Finn followed Victor inside the VTOL, closed the door behind him, and sat down in one of the two seats in the cockpit next to him.

"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" Finn asked.

Victor pressed a few buttons above him and the engines turned on. The aircraft slightly shook as he pulled on a lever in front of him and it began to ascend. Once it was high enough, Victor turned it towards the exit and instantly flew forward at full speed, making Finn grip the side of his seat. His eyes widened when there was no ground beneath them outside, just more clouds.

Victor turned the VTOL hard right and flew forward. They passed underneath a gigantic metal surface above them, which had enormous jets that shot purple fire downward. After several minutes of avoiding being burned in mid-flight, they reached open sky again, only to be beneath another line of fire more minutes after. The other was longer than the previous but they eventually reached open sky again.

Victor pulled the stick up and the VTOL flew upwards pushing Finn against the seat and preventing him from moving. Once the VTOL was level again, Victor turned it around to face the direction that they had come from. Finn was completely frozen with his mouth open and his eyes fully wide as he bore witness to what was before him.

A city, flying among the clouds.

The entire thing was enormous beyond compare. It was shaped like a ring, with a large hole in the center. On the edges were the buildings, most of which stood tall like spires. They were all covered by an immense glass wall that covered the entire city overhead. To the south of the city was a large glass tunnel that went north towards another smaller round section. Unlike the rest, it was covered in fields of grass and small forests, with what Finn saw was a giant tree standing in the center, and behind it at the very edge was a large building which resembled a castle, with a small courtyard behind it surrounded by walls. It was all covered by a glass dome as well.

Behind that was another tunnel which led to another glass dome covered area, but this one was smaller. The only thing in it was an enormous castle, much larger than the one in the previous location. Its design made it look like an imposing structure compared the others: tall spires on each corner, giant statues on each of them that appeared to be giant birds, and a large courtyard with every kind of plant imaginable.

Finn was completely mesmerized at the sight. The entire thing was beautiful. He turned his gaze to Victor, who was also looking at it with a smile on his face. He spoke to Finn without looking at him.

"Finn, welcome to the last remaining city of humans floating above Earth: Olympia."

* * *

 **Note: I know the whole 'Finn finds a city full of humans' thing has been done before in other stories (The one I know most is** _ **Purpose**_ **by** _ **nrbuer**_ **, which I highly recommend)** **but I wanted to try my hand at it. The theory of flying cities has always fascinated me beyond measure so I figured "Why not?"**

 **(Side Note: When you imagine the female computer voice, think Glados from Portal.)**

 **Ooobserver: I'm glad you think it was fitting. And I figured I should give Finn some battle scars even though they'll be hidden most of the time. But from this chapter, I think you can make out that he will have some impressive equipment indeed.**

 **Fiery Crusader: I guess now you can say they're not exactly intergalactic, but it's close. (Also yeah. He was pretty disappointing.)**


	5. Chapter 5: Jewel of the Sky

**Chapter 5: Jewel of the Sky**

There was nothing but silence between Finn and Victor. The only sound was that of the VTOL's muffled engines outside. Finn kept his gaze on the city of humans before him, wondering how he would ever be able to come across such a place in his entire life. He could see the people like ants down on the streets between the enormous buildings going about their business and conversing with each other without a care in the world. It was then that tears began to fall from his eyes.

"I… I thought I was the only one… all these years doubting that I would ever meet so many humans…" his gaze turned to Victor. "How is this possible?"

"Well, it happened very long ago. When the war was in progress, what you call the Great Mushroom War, we began to realize that victory for one side was impossible as long as the stakes were high. So, many of our brightest and most powerful came together and began working on what you see before you. Project Olympia. A place where humans could live without fear of the threats below."

"Were you among the people who built it?"

Victor chuckled.

"No. Like I said, it was _very_ long ago. You won't find a single person living in Olympia that was alive during those times. We only know what the history books tell us."

Finn returned his gaze to the city, still mesmerized by its size and design.

"You'd think we would've noticed something so big above our heads."

"That's because the city flies over the one place on Earth that no living creature inhabits: The Crater."

Finn wasn't very surprised. He had heard stories about The Crater from Princess Bubblegum. How it was the place where the bomb that destroyed most of the world fell and became a giant wasteland of radiation that would remain uninhabitable for thousands, if not millions of years. He and Jake had sworn they would never go there, and for good reason. They would die just from breathing.

Finn drew his gaze back to Olympia, and it was then that he noticed that some parts of the city were divided by huge walls. There were four in total sections.

"What are those walls for?" Finn asked.

"The city is divided into four districts; six if you count the ones separate from the main city." he pointed towards the one nearest to them, "The one closets to us, and the one that leads into the inner districts by ground is the Diamond District. The one on the right is the Sapphire District; to the left is the Emerald District; and to the far back is the Ruby District."

"What about the center ones?"

"The one closest to the Diamond District is the Guardian District, which is the one we came from. The one behind it is the Jewel District."

"Is there a difference between all of them?"

"The ones for the city are divided depending on class. From poorest to richest would be Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and Diamond."

Finn could tell the difference between them. The Diamond Districts was filled with tall shining buildings and elegant structures along with a few grass covered parks. The Ruby and Sapphire districts looked kinda the same to Finn. But the Emerald District was the complete opposite of the Diamond District. Its buildings were rusted and there were shattered windows on every one.

Victor continued with his explanation.

"The Guardian District is neutral, and Jewel District is where the queen resides."

"Queen?"

"Yes, Queen Nora Varnon. She rules the entirety of Olympia. And it's the duty of the Sentinels to watch over her."

"What _are_ the Sentinels?" Finn asked, wanting to know what this group was.

"I will show you."

Victor grabbed the stick and flew them back to the hangar that they had left through and Finn was now able to notice a few turrets placed on the sides of the entrance. As if he could tell what he was thinking, Victor spoke.

"They're used to keep any unregistered aircraft from flying in."

Finn nodded and Victor landed the VTOL back on its original place. He led Finn up the same elevator and they entered the main lobby, where they went towards the main doors and went outside.

They were inside Guardian District. Finn took notice of the giant glass dome which covered the entire area above, making the sunlight reflect off it. It was beginning to set and the sky was orange. There were no other buildings inside except the one they came out of. They walked for a while until they were able to get a good view of the structure behind them, which stood taller than Finn saw from the air.

"This is the hall of the Vanguard. I suppose you could call them the police of Olympia. The best soldiers among their ranks are handpicked based on their skill in combat and are assigned to join the Sentinels. The Sentinels are among the strongest humanity has to offer, and it's our duty to protect the queen from anyone who might try to bring her harm, which is why this is the district that stands between the queen's and the rest of the city."

He placed a hand on Finn's shoulder and the young man turned to meet his gaze.

"That is why we've brought you here, Finn. Like I said, we've been watching your progress on Earth for quite some time now, and I believe you have what it takes to be a Sentinel."

Finn was shocked. Under any other circumstance he would've accepted immediately, but he instantly remembered Jake and Phoebe. He couldn't just abandon them in their time of need.

"It's a… great offer, but… my friends were captured-"

"By Cypher?"

Finn's eyes widened in surprise.

"You know him?"

Victor turned back to the Guardian headquarters and sighed.

"He used to be a Sentinel. One of the best. Until two years ago when he inexplicably turned on us. He killed some soldiers working in the hangar and stole one of our choppers. Afterwards, more of us continued to disappear. We had no idea how since we were one hundred percent sure he never came back to Olympia. It wasn't until a few months later that we learned that more of our people were running off to join him. He ended up becoming the leader of a new group of warriors: The Syndicate, with the lion as their symbol."

Finn remembered that symbol all too well. Victor remained quiet for a while but continued with his story.

"I've always somehow thought it was my fault. I was the one who trained him. It wasn't until after his betrayal that I became the leader of the Sentinels."

"You lead them?"

Victor nodded.

"He killed the previous leader during his escape. _My_ mentor."

"How many Sentinels are there now?"

"Seven including me. There's never more than fifteen Sentinels at a time."

"Why so few?"

"Two reasons: like I said before, only the best fighters among the ranks of the guardians can join, but not many can meet the standards. And also because most of us were either killed by Cypher or went to join him."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. Cypher was acting strange the last days I spoke with him as a friend. My guess is that he somehow managed to convince them." he leaned in closer to Finn. "Finn, if you wish to reclaim your friends and bring justice on those he has killed, the Sentinels will help you achieve that goal."

"I thought you had to be among the best to join."

"But you are, Finn. You're a great fighter and a quick thinker. That is exactly what we need to fight off Cypher and the Syndicate. Especially if you ever want to see your friends again. And you would also be doing your service to humanity."

Finn thought for a while. Not only did he want to save his friends, but he also felt a sense of hate towards Cypher. Not only had he nearly killed him, but he killed CB and a lot of innocent people. He was also a traitor and a backstabber; and that was all the reason Finn needed to hunt him down. He looked at Victor, who was waiting for his answer.

"Alright. I'm in."

Victor smiled and held out his hand, which Finn grabbed and shook.

"Glad to have you with us. You're not _officially_ a Sentinel just yet, however. But since time is of the essence, we'll begin right away."

"With what?"

"Training."

"I'm already capable enough to fight."

"Not yet. Not against Cypher himself. But you'll see; once you're done here, you'll be unstoppable."

Finn nodded and the two let go of each other's hands.

"When do I meet the rest of the team?"

"Soon. First we need to settle you in."

* * *

As the two of them walked back inside the headquarters, Finn noticed the same guards he saw earlier come out of the elevator and dismissing others to begin their guard duty. Finn assumed they were the Vanguard. He walked with Victor until they reached the front desk.

"You have to register."

Finn spoke to one of the women manning one of the monitors on the desk. After giving her some information, she put a small pad on the desk.

"Please place your hand here."

Finn did as she asked and placed his left palm on the pad. The screen on it flashed and appeared to scan him. Once it finished, a female voice spoke from the device.

" _Finn Mertens. Registration complete. Have a nice day."_

The woman then pulled out a circular metal object no bigger than two inches. She placed the object beneath a stick and pushed a small button on its side, making it hum.

"Hold out your hand please."

Finn was hesitant but extended his right arm forward. She took it and turned his hand so that the palm was facing upwards and stamped the object onto his hand, making him wince from the burning sensation as she kept it pressed for a few seconds. Once she pulled it off, the small object was merged into his skin.

"You're all set… Sir." she said before returning to her normal work.

Finn looked towards Victor as he rubbed his palm and kept opening and closing his hand, confused as it still felt as if there was nothing on his hand at all.

"Consider that your personal I.D. card. It marks you as a Sentinel and allows you to enter further into the building."

"But if the Syndicate are ex-Sentinels, can't they use these to enter the building?"

"No. This system was installed after Cypher's escape. If any Sentinels or unauthorized personal enter or leave, we'll know about it."

Finn nodded in understanding and followed Victor as he walked through one of the detectors beside the desk. A light flashed green on the top of its arch when he went through, the same for Finn. Once they were through, they began walking up the large set of stairs that led up.

Finn remained quiet the rest of the way as they went inside the doors and came across multiple hallways. It seemed like every single corner had a small camera on it monitoring everything. Finn caught a glimpse of several guards walking around but their uniforms didn't seem like the rest.

"We're gonna go visit Angie first. She'll need to… do a few things before she can provide you with your gear."

Finn said nothing as they continued to walk across the gray walled hallways. They stopped and Finn heard a familiar voice speak from behind them.

"Back from the dead, eh Rookie?"

Finn turned around to see a man standing behind him. Despite his rather deep voice, he didn't actually look that old. His skin was really pale and his hair was completely white, which reached his shoulders. His eyes were a dark shade of green that could easily be seen from a long distance. He was wearing a dark gray piece of armor on his torso while the ones on his arms and legs were a lighter shade, and dark yellow shoulder guards. There was a long katana hanging from his left hip that was colored green at the curved end of the blade. The symbol of the Sentinels was engraved on one of his shoulder guards; the wolf with two swords.

Victor walked up next to Finn.

"Finn, this is Seph. He's the one who rescued you from the fire palace after Cypher's attack. He's also the strongest of the Sentinels. The best fighter humanity has to offer."

Seph walked right in front of Finn and studied the young man from top to bottom. His eyes cut made Finn nervous with their gaze, like that of a ghost.

"I hope you were worth the trouble, kid. I won't tolerate failures here, and I expect you to impress me in the long run."

"I can fight."

"It takes more than fighting skill to survive, Rookie. And by the time you realize it, you'll have a sword running straight through your throat. And in the Sentinels, you're no good to anyone as a corpse."

Despite sounding annoyed, his voice was always calm and his expression remained blank. He didn't wait for a reply from Finn and just walked away, keeping his left hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Finn looked towards Victor, who seemed unfazed by anything Seph had said.

"Charmer, isn't he?" Finn said.

"Don't let his words cut you too deep. He's had it harder than most. But in those years he's grown wise. You'd do well to respect and heed his advice whenever he gives it."

The two of them went on their way until Victor stopped in front of one of the doors and went inside. The room was dark, save for a few lights and the sparks coming from the saw a woman was using on something on the table in front of her. The entire room was filled with all kinds of machinery and scraps just lying around. There was a strange large cylinder attached to one of the walls with a small computer attached to its side. Finn could've sworn he heard a weird noise coming from one of the corners but shrugged it off when he didn't see anything.

Victor walked up to the woman.

"Angie!" he shouted through the noise of the saw but she still didn't listen.

He tapped her a few times on the shoulder and she turned to face him, nearly cutting him with the saw if he didn't step back a bit.

"WHAT?!" she shouted even though she had turned off the saw.

She was wearing welding goggles and the lighting still didn't allow Finn to get a good look of her face.

"New recruit." Victor said. "He needs some gear."

She looked over at Finn and he waved his hand. She scoffed then turned back to Victor.

"Why do you always have to come in here when I'm working?"

"You're always working."

"Exactly! You know, you need to learn that what I do is actually-Hey!"

She shouted at Finn, who was holding a small spherical object he picked up from a table.

"Put that back!"

He cringed at her loud tone and put the object back on the table quickly.

"Sorry."

"'Sorry' doesn't excuse blowing up all of Olympia."

"Angie, this is urgent." Victor said.

She remained silent for a few moments shifting gazes between Victor, Finn, and the saw on her hands. She grunted and put the saw back on the table along with her welding goggles and put on a normal pair of glasses. She continued to mutter words neither of them understood as she began to rummage around some drawers around the room, throwing different pieces of scrap to the ground as she did.

"Where did I put the damn…? I was using it yesterday. AHA!"

She pulled out yellow tape from a small container and then walked towards Finn, where he could finally see her features.

Her face was covered with dry oil almost everywhere, except for the lines the goggles left behind, which showed tannish skin. Her hair was black with some gray in it, indicating she was well aged, and was tied into a small bun. Her eyes were a light shade of brown, and they creeped Finn out how she stared at him with them fully open. Her clothing consisted of a brown jacket with a pair of black pants that were just as dirty as her face.

"Stand straight. Put your arms out and don't speak."

Finn did so and she began to use the tape to measure different parts of his body. She kept grabbing his arms and kept changing their positions and made Finn grunt with how hard she gripped him.

"Can't you-"

He was cut off when she grabbed both his cheeks and kept his mouth open. She pulled out a small flashlight and aimed it into his mouth, then she held open one of his eyelids and aimed the flashlight at it as well to Finn's discomfort.

"Ooo, blue eyes. Lovely. Do you prefer fighting with your right or left hand?"

"Uh, both are fine. Can you let go of my eye please?"

"Ok, so you're ambidextrous. You don't meet many of those."

She let go of his eyelid and then picked up a notebook where she began to write in a few things.

"Ok, if you could just stand in there."

She used her pencil to point towards the cylindrical machine. She walked towards it and pressed a button on a control console next to it. The object opened, revealing a frame that was shaped in accordance to a human body.

"In there?"

"Yes. Now."

Finn gulped and stepped inside with his back against the machine and his gaze turned to the room, where he saw Angie still typing on the control console and Victor was watching him with his hands behind his back. The frame of the machine had Finn put his arms and legs slightly apart from each other and were strapped to the frame with metal shackles.

' _It's like doing some kind of crazy experiment with PB all over again.'_

"Ok," Angie said cheerfully, "Now we're gonna get you suited up."

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"Sure, sure. Just try not to move too much unless you wanna lose a limb."

"Wait, wh-"

He was cut off when the machine doors closed and he was left inside with nothing but its blue light shining on him.

* * *

 **Note: Not the most complex city ever (at least not to me), but I think I did a good job with it. Also, I want to point out that it might take a while before anything actually "happens". I want to make a few more chapters dedicated to all the OCs. Character development is key.**

 **Fiery Crusader: You really like guessing ahead, don't you? lol. Although you're not** _ **entirely**_ **far off. Let's just say that not everything is easily predictable.**

 **Ooobserver: Thanks. I'm really glad you like the name.**


	6. Chapter 6: Armored Up

**Chapter 6: Armored Up**

Finn kept breathing in and out trying to stay calm as the metal walls around him appeared to be getting smaller and tighter with every passing minute. He figured it was just his paranoia, but he couldn't help to find trouble breathing from being in such an enclosed space, especially since it was a machine that he had no idea of what it would bring upon him. He wanted to try and shift positions but at the same time he told himself to stay absolutely still.

' _Thank Glob I'm not claustrophobic.'_

He began to feel a few drops of sweat coming down from his forehead. He was about to shout to Angie and Victor before a beam of bright light shined on him from above, causing him to shut his eyes as the light traveled down his body while the machine whirred for every second, worsening Finn's already growing nervousness. Once the whirring stopped, he found the courage to risk opening his eyes. Everything was still the same, but the silence only lasted seconds before a female computer voice spoke.

" _Systems online. Occupant fully secure. Ready to begin arming procedure of the Type IV."_

Finn took one last deep breath before he was blinded by another light. He was only able to open his eyes slightly to notice several metal arms extend from the sides and pointed towards him. Some had small drills, some had torches, and others were clamps that were holding on to pieces of what Finn assumed was armor. Once he began to see them moving towards him, he closed his eyes and waited.

He began to feel pieces of metal being pressed against the skin of his arms and the sounds of drills as those pieces tightened around him, though he didn't feel any pain. Afterwards he could feel the sparks landing on his face as the blowtorches began to put everything together with their heat. The same process went onto his legs, torso, and even his back when he felt the wall behind him disappear for some seconds. It was then that he felt something pressed against his face. He wanted to open his eyes to see but something told him to wait for it to all be over. He didn't have to wait long as the machine went quiet and his body began to relax.

Finn took the chance and began to open his eyes only to see full darkness in front of him before the female voice spoke again, but this time it was right inside whatever was on his head instead of the machine.

" _Powering up."_

A screen immediately turned on in front of him and he could see the interior of the machine again. His breath clouded the view but it became clear almost instantly.

" _Heads up display is operational. Occupant vitals: normal. Arming procedure successfully complete. Welcome, Finn."_

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence before the machine's doors opened again and he was met with Victor standing in front of him and Angie still in front of the control console. Victor just looked at him blankly but Angie grew a huge grin.

"Ah, you're still in one piece. Good, now step out so we can test this baby out."

Finn grabbed on to the edges of the machine to pull himself out and saw that his hands were covered in white armor. Once his feet hit the ground outside, he looked at both his arms and saw that his palms and elbows were covered in a soft dark gray material.

"What am I wearing?"

"Take a look." Victor said as he pointed towards a mirror in the corner of the room.

Due to the darkness of the room, Finn had to walk up close before he could get a good view.

He was completely covered in sleek metal armor from top to bottom. The torso piece was white above the ribcage but his abdomen was dark gray. Most of the rest of his armor was white but was gray where the body could be flexed to allow for better movement. His helmet was round and was completely white in the front, which confused Finn as to how he could see through it before he spotted what appeared to be a small, barely noticeable lens on the center of his forehead, which explained why it looked like he was looking through a screen. Finn also noticed that the area around the neck had a few blue glyphs that pulsated blue. The Sentinel symbol was engraved on one of his shoulder guards.

Once he finished looking at the new armor he turned back to Victor and Angie.

"This looks… really math. I'll admit it."

"Not only is it… math, but it'll keep you alive. Type IV power armor is the best model currently available to the Sentinels. Some might argue that the Type II is more reliable but it can get a bit clunky at times. But when it's time for action and you need reliable gear to get you through, this will never fail you."

"Whoa."

"You can disengage the helmet with a little button on the nape of your neck."

Finn reached behind him and saw that she was right. He pressed the button and the helmet opened and retracted back into the suit, leaving Finn's head free.

"Is there a way of getting out of it?"

"Easy. Just stand straight with your arms and legs slightly apart and say 'Disengage'."

Finn did as she said and the back of the armor opened, allowing him to slip out with ease before it closed again. The armor remained standing on the ground without need of support.

"Angie, you are algebraic."

"Thanks… I guess."

Victor, who had been quiet throughout the whole test, walked up to them.

"Tomorrow we will begin your training. And you'll get to meet the rest of the team. For now I'll show you were your sleeping quarters are."

Finn nodded in agreement before reopening the armor by saying "Engage". Once he was inside and it closed once more he was greeted by the same female voice.

" _Voice command identified. Welcome, Finn."_

"By the way, how's Jeffrey?" Victor asked Angie.

"Oh, he's just marvelous."

Finn was about to ask who they were talking about before Victor motioned for them to leave. Just as they were about to leave, Victor stopped by the door and turned around.

"Oh, and Angie?" she turned to face him. "Clean up this mess."

She just narrowed her eyes and muttered something under her breath. Once Finn and Victor left the room they began walking across the halls.

"She was… interesting. Is she a Sentinel?"

"No. But she's a valuable asset to us. She might seem a bit… off, but trust me, she's a genius."

The two of them walked through the narrow corridors of the building, which to Finn just looked like a maze and he was sure he would've gotten lost if Victor wasn't leading him. They eventually reached a hallway that led to a dead end that had lines of doors running along both walls. Each door had a small panel attached to the wall beside it. Victor led Finn to the fourth door to the right.

"This is your room. You can go ahead and make yourself at home. Training will begin tomorrow."

"Every moment we waste who knows what Cypher is doing to my friends? Why can't-"

"I said you're not ready. And even if you were, we still don't know where your friends are being held. We have Angie on that." Finn sighed and Victor placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Finn. We will find them. I promise."

He patted Finn on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile before he departed, leaving Finn alone in the empty halls. He took one look at a camera that seemed to be pointed right at him before placing his hand on the panel to his room.

" _Welcome, Finn."_

"I'll never get used to that."

The door unlocked and Finn went inside. The room wasn't very large but it was still manageable. There was a small bed, a few drawers, and there was a door to a small bathroom.

Finn took off his armor and went to take a shower before anything else. Afterwards he turned off the light and laid on his bed face-up with his hands behind his head. He wanted to sleep but the thought of Jake and Phoebe kept returning to his mind and kept him awake with worry. He told himself deep down that if he was gonna rescue them he needed to be ready, and that meant getting proper sleep. It was an hour later that he was able to close his eyes, but the thoughts of what would befall them haunted his nightmares.

* * *

Finn mumbled in his sleep but was startled awake by someone knocking on the door. He groaned and placed his hand on his face when he saw the clock said 5:17 AM. As the knocking continued multiple times, Finn got up and got dressed before going to answer the door, expecting for it to be Victor. To his surprise, it wasn't. It was a young man.

He didn't look much older than Finn. His skin was dark and his eyes were brown. His head was shaved, leaving only a light stubble. He was wearing a set of power armor, which led Finn to the conclusion he was a member of the Sentinels.

"Finn?" The young man asked.

"Yeah?" Finn asked groggily.

"I've come to take you to the mess hall. Victor said you should have a full stomach before you begin your training."

Finn rubbed his eyes and shook his head to wipe away the grogginess.

"Alright. Give me a minute."

He closed the door before the man said anything else. He went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face before putting on his armor. When he opened the door, the young man was still waiting for him and the two began walking without saying a word. Finn kept the helmet of his armor down, figuring it was only useful when in the field. He examined the young man's armor as they walked.

It looked mostly like Finn's but it was a very dark shade of green rather than brown. There was a small sword sheathed on his back.

"So, what's your name?" Finn asked.

"Erik."

"Nice to meet you."

Erik kept shifting glances between the hallway and Finn as they walked.

"Is it true that you're from Earth?"

"Uh, yeah."

Erik's eyes widened in surprise of his statement.

"Whoa. What's it like?"

"Haven't you been down there?"

"No. I haven't been part of the Sentinels for very long to go on surface missions. The only one qualified right now is Seph and a few of the Vanguard. The rest stay here to ensure the queen's safety."

Finn nodded and the two kept walking until they entered through a set of double doors. They were inside a large room with nothing but two long tables with benches. There were three people sitting at one table, a woman and two men, and one girl sitting on the other, each eating food and looking at Finn and Erik. They all had power armor on, and each had the Sentinel's symbol on their shoulder guards. Erik caught Finn's attention by tapping him on the shoulder and leading him to the canteen, where they each grabbed some food and sat down at the table with the lone girl.

She had burgundy colored hair tied into a ponytail. Her skin was slightly tanned and her eyes were light blue. Her armor was made of polished steel that was black across the abdomen but black everywhere else. There was a black hoodie attached to it.

"Sasha, this is the new recruit, Finn." Erik said.

She eyed him for several seconds before a light smile appeared on her face.

"Finn, huh? What district are you from?"

"He's not from any district." Erik replied. "He came from Earth."

Finn then heard a chuckle come from the other table. He looked over to get a look at the other Sentinels.

One of the men was pale and had short black and green eyes, same as the woman sitting next to him. Finn assumed they were somehow related. The one who laughed was sitting across them. He had short blonde hair and a small beard on his face. His eyes were a light shade of gray. He had a small scar that ran through his left eye.

"Earth?" he said. "You mean you're a freak like the rest of them?"

Not even a second passed before Finn got up and slammed his hands on the table.

"What did you just call them?"

"Freaks. That's all they are. All twisted and weird, I only went down there once and I'll tell ya, I don't plan on going back."

"Mike, knock it off." Sasha said.

"I'm just calling it like it is. You should be glad you're among your own kind now, kid."

Finn didn't budge and just kept his gaze fixed on his. Then Finn smirked, which caused Mike to become confused.

"Who are you to judge people that you barely even know? Why do you assume their freaks when I bet you never even got the guts to even get near them? I've only known you for literally seconds, and I already know people on Earth who are worth ten of you!"

Mike grew angry and got up from the table. He walked up towards Finn and looked at him straight in the eyes, but Finn didn't budge. Mike towered over Finn by a few inches, with Finn being 5'8 he must have been at least 6'2.

"Listen here, _freak,_ you've only been here one day. I've been a part of the Sentinels for five years, since before Cypher went traitor and Victor became leader. Do you know what people would be willing to do to have the queen's head? What kind of danger they would put themselves through? I've served this city better than you ever will. So don't forget your place."

The two of them narrowed their eyes at each other and Finn clenched his fists. Erik was about to intervene before the door to the mess hall opened and Seph walked in.

"Someone wanna explain the ruckus coming from in here? You're soldiers, not kids. Act like it."

Mike was already sitting back down on the table when Finn turned back to him. Finn did the same and sat back down with Erik and Sasha.

"Chow down quick, ladies. Shifts begin soon. And Finn, it's the training grounds for you after this."

He left the room without saying another word. The next few minutes were spent with Finn and Mike staring at each other across the room. The silence was broken when Erik caught Finn's attention.

"Are you ready for your training? It can be a bit rough."

"For you, anyway." Sasha said.

"What are you getting at?"

Minutes of Erik and Sasha arguing later, Finn finished his food and Erik led him back into the lobby. They went down the stairs and entered through the doors in between them that led to the courtyard behind the building. They went through a long hallway that ended on another security checkpoint before going through another set of doors and went outside, where they were met with the first rays of the sun shining through the large dome above them.

The courtyard was surrounded by walls to keep anyone from coming around the building. There were all kinds of objects stationed around the courtyard. Dummies, brick walls, a runway made with dirt, and a round arena in the center. The thing that caught Finn's attention the most, however, was the bulkhead door at the very end of the courtyard, which led into the tunnel leading to the queen's palace on the Jewel District. While it was still pretty far, the palace still looked like an imposing structure.

Finn found Victor, Angie, and Seph waiting for him just outside. Victor appeared to be holding a metal sword sheath in his hand and Angie had a strange metal box in hers. Erik bid him good luck and went back inside.

"Ready for your training, Finn?" Victor asked.

"I am. I'll do whatever it takes to fight Cypher and get my friends back."

"Well, stick to that mind set and you'll do fine." Seph said.

Angie walked up to Finn and opened the box that she held, revealing a steel blade. Finn remembered it from his croak dream, and how he had used it to fight Cypher and then… he didn't want to continue the thought.

"This is a Sentinel blade." Angie said. "It's reinforced by a powerful alternating current and resonates at extremely high frequencies. This oscillation weakens the molecular bonds of anything it cuts, thereby increasing its cutting ability. I advise you to be extremely careful wielding it. Sentinel blades are able to cut through almost anything. And I do mean _anything_. The only thing they can't cut is other high frequency blades."

Finn nodded and grabbed the blade. He tested out by giving it a few slow spins while holding it with both hands, making sure he didn't get it near any limbs. It was clearly visible that the blade was extremely sharp, especially its curved end. He finished spinning it and held it front of him.

"It does look sharp."

"Extremely." Victor said. "So I suggest you keep it in here."

He held up the sword sheath that he was holding and handed it to Finn, who found the sword fit perfectly when he sheathed it. Victor held out his hand and Finn handed back the sheath then turned around when Victor asked him to. He felt several clanking and whirring sounds behind him before looking back and seeing the sheath now attached to his back. It was slightly angled so he could unsheathe and sheathe the blade with his right hand.

"Let's see what you can do, Rookie. Go over and slash at some of those metal dummies over there as a start. Then we'll move to the more advanced stuff."

Finn did so and positioned himself in front of a group of metal dummies with his helmet covering his face. He reached behind his back and slashed at one of the dummies as his sword quickly drew out of its sheath. There was a straight diagonal line running across the dummies' torso before the upper half slid off and fell to the ground with a clang. Finn chuckled and eyed the sword as it still glowed slightly orange from the quick slash before he began to cut at other dummies. Seph watched his progress then spoke once he finished.

"You know how to use a sword well enough, but so does the Syndicate. Over here."

Afterwards he was taken to the runway at the edge of the courtyard, where a brick wall, at least eleven meters high, was standing at the end. Victor, Seph, and Angie all stood at the edge of the runway and looked at Finn as he stood at the other end of the runway opposite the wall. Angie was the first to speak.

"Ok, now we're gonna test your speed and grapple hook. I want you to start running as fast as you can towards the wall. Just be sure to stop a few feet before you reach it or you'll crash into it."

Finn was confused about what she meant by the last part but he ultimately took position. Once pulled a stopwatch from her pocket and gave the signal, Finn began dashing towards the wall. To his surprise, he began running with unnatural speed. He was able to stop himself just a few inches from the wall before he planted himself against it.

"6 seconds. Very good. Now run back."

Finn did so in a second less than the first time, now knowing what to expect from running. He then ran over to Angie and she held up his left arm.

"There's a small grappling hook attached to your left arm piece that you can shoot and retract at will. Push this button to activate it and hold it down to make it come back towards you." she pointed towards a small button on the side of his index finger. "Go back and aim at the wall."

Finn went back to his original position and aimed his left arm forward towards the upper part of the wall. He pressed the button and was startled when a long black string with a small hook attached to the end shot from it at high speeds and impaled itself against the wall. Finn took a few seconds to recover from the shock and then held down the button, only to scream as he was pulled towards the wall.

He was able to aim his feet forward and let go of the button just in time to remain hanging from the top of the wall while keeping his feet planted against it and holding on to the string. He let out a laugh before he pushed the button again and the hook got unstuck from the wall, sending him falling down and landing on his feet without even feeling the impact.

Once they were all sure that he could wield the sword without injuring himself and master the armor's movement, he was led over to the small arena placed in the center of the courtyard. Seph stood in front of him and unsheathed his own sword, which had a glowing green curved end.

"Alright, Rookie. Let's see how well you do in an actual sword fight."

Seph raised his armor's helmet, which was the same design as Finn's only it was the same color as his shoulder pads. Finn was hesitant at first before he looked at over at Victor, who gave him a reassuring nod. He pulled out his own sword and took up a stance as Seph did the same. Neither of them broke contact as they began circling the arena, neither lowering their guards for a second.

Seph was the first to charge, who moved with such unnatural speed that Finn could barely block the attack. The two continued to deliver chain of attacks to one another, but Finn found himself blocking more than hitting. It wasn't long before Seph was able to push his sword away and kick him in the abdomen, making him fall back.

Finn heard a snicker come from somewhere near the arena and saw that the rest of the Sentinels were watching the fight. There was Erik, Sasha, the other two which Finn didn't know the names, and Mike. Mike was the one who snickered, but everyone else was silent.

"Stand back up, Rookie. If this were a real fight I would've carved out your heart by now."

Finn took a deep breath and prepared himself for another fight. Both their swords began meeting once again, sending sparks flying off them. Finn didn't know if it was skill or just dumb luck, but he was able to drop Seph's defenses and managed to land a punch on his left hip. The man barely staggered but he stopped his attacks as the rest of the group's eyes seemed to widen.

"Well done, Rookie."

"Thanks. I-"

He was cut off by Seph rushing towards him and kicked him towards the floor and pinned him down by placing hid foot against his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"Rule 1: Never let your guard down. Now get up."

The training sessions continued with Finn winning some but Seph winning more. The entire time he could see Victor and the rest of the Sentinels smiling at him. All except Mike.

* * *

 **Ooobserver: I'd like to think of him more as the 'try harder next time' guy, though I'm not entirely sure if there's an actual difference. Also that _was_ a Dead Space ****reference.**

 **Fiery Crusader: We can only hope.**


	7. Chapter 7: Know your Enemy

**Chapter 7: Know your Enemy**

By the time the sun had reached the highest point above Olympia, Finn felt as if he had been trampled by horses. The training sessions with Seph were rough and mostly ended up with him getting face planted on the ground. Finn fought through the pain, however, as he focused on honing his skills as much as possible for whatever fights were to come if he was to save Jake and Phoebe. Since he already had some level of sword expertise, the training wasn't as rough as Erik and Sasha had made it sound to be.

The three of them were sitting on a bench just to the side of the training field, watching as Mike and the other two Sentinels, which Erik had told Finn that they were twins and their names were Alan and Elaine, were training. Victor had left back inside to deal with some business while Angie said she needed to go check on Jeffrey, whoever that was.

"The twins," Erik began speaking, "rarely speak and mostly keep to themselves. They're both exceptional fighters, though, and they prove to be powerful allies when things get rough. Mike… well, you already know all there is to know about Mike. Brute, a real charmer. But when it comes to having someone watch your back, you won't find someone better… Unless it's Seph."

"What do you know about Seph himself?" Finn asked as Sasha was tending to his bruises. She was the one who answered.

"He mostly keeps to himself. The only thing we know about him is that he grew up in the Emerald District. Where he became an expert with the sword… no one knows."

"Ah, but they all got nothing on me." Erik said. "I'm the best Sentinel there is and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"You're full of it, Erik." Sasha said as she chuckled.

"I am. Just you wait and see. One day I'm gonna go on surface missions and bring the fight to the Syndicate."

"We both know I would beat you in a fight in two seconds."

"Would not. I am the ultimate sword master, Sasha. In fact, how about I teach you a thing or two?"

"If anyone needs teaching, it's you."

"I've been here longer than you. That makes me the more experienced."

"You joined just two months before me. I'd hardly call that enough time to be 'more experienced'."

"Just marry each other already." Finn said as a joke. The two went silent and both their cheeks turned red.

"What? D-don't be ridiculous." Erik said.

"Y-yeah."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at them. He felt comfortable around Erik and Sasha. They were his first real friends ever since he arrived at Olympia.

Finn kept his eyes on the other Sentinels. Seph was watching with his hand resting on his sword as it was impaled to the ground at Alan and Elaine, who were dueling each other with neither of them seeming to be able to get the upper hand on the other. Mike was just slashing away at a multitude of dummies with incredible fury.

"So, what's you two's story?" Finn asked.

"I came from Ruby District. Not the nicest place to live but: small houses, gangs; but at least it's better than Emerald. My mother and father died when I was young."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. I spent most of my time living with my uncle. I joined the Vanguard a year ago and they eventually made me a Sentinel after I showed my skill in combat. Not much to tell, really."

Finn turned to Sasha.

"What about you?"

"I grew up in Diamond District. I was part of a noble family."

"What's it like there?"

"What you would expect. Skyscrapers, opera houses, ballrooms, theaters, parks where the grass is as green as it can get; and every single person there with a stick up their ass."

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since I was little, my family would go to all of these important events and meetings and they would drag me along with them. People in suits drinking wine and laughing about how they managed to score a point in golf."

"Why'd you leave?"

"Bah! Because it was dull. Every single day was the exact same routine: put on a fancy dress, smile, and be polite. Why bother having so much money if you're just wasting your life away? So I did the one thing I could to escape that life: I joined the Vanguard and was eventually made Sentinel."

"I've only been to Diamond District a few times and I gotta say, it's very obvious where all the money that could be used to help the other districts went." Erik said.

"For a flying city, it doesn't exactly sound like paradise to everyone." Finn said, though neither of them replied.

Once Sasha was finished tending to Finn's bruises, he put his armor back on, which was standing right next to where they were sitting. He spent the rest of the day training along with the other Sentinels. Sometimes he would train with Seph, sometimes with Erik or Sasha, and other times he would train on his own. Once the sky began getting orange again, they all went inside. While everyone went about their business, Finn decided to pass the time by going outside and walking around the Guardian District.

The only human made structure outside the headquarters was a long brick path that went straight through the grass covered fields and into a small forest. Finn would sometimes stray from the path and walk around the dense woods, listening to the call of the birds that were nesting in the forest.

On the other side of the forest was another clearing, but this one had a large tree in the center, surrounded by the brick path that continued behind it. The tree so tall that it covered the clearing in shadow, with the only light being the one that shined through the lush green leaves. There small fields of sunflowers surrounding its base. It was when he heard singing that Finn noticed a girl standing in front of the tree.

The girl had her back turned to Finn and was holding one of the sunflowers in her hands, plucking away the leaves. Finn could also recall her from the dream he had. Long brown hair, elegant blue dress, and her voice was just as angelic as he remembered. He began to slowly walk towards her as she continued singing the melody.

Once Finn was only inches from her, he accidentally stepped on a small fallen branch, causing her to immediately look back at him and showing her facial features. She looked not much younger than Finn, give or take one or two years younger. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue, which seemed to look at Finn with nothing but innocence and curiosity. She was wearing a tiara on her head, which had four small colored jewels on the front. The moment she turned and saw him, she let out a shocked gasp.

"Sorry. I-I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to come out and… and…"

"Hey, hey, take it easy. I'm not here to hurt you."

Her expression changed to one of confusion.

"Well, of course not. Aren't you a Sentinel?"

Finn was about to reply but instead stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wait, are you the queen?"

She simply giggled, which made Finn smile.

"You must be new. No, I'm not the queen, that's my mother. I'm her daughter, Christine Varnon."

"So, you're the princess?"

"I am. The next in line to the throne of Olympia. It honestly makes me nervous whenever I think about that. I don't know if I can be a good enough queen."

"Well, I've only known you for a few seconds and I already know you will be. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

She smiled and slightly blushed.

"Thank you. Might I ask your name?"

"Finn the Hu- I mean Finn."

"Well, Finn, I look forward to having you as a Sentinel. You'll just have to be deemed so by my mother."

Finn smiled at her and slightly bowed. The two of them stared at each other awkwardly before Finn looked to a different direction. When he returned, her expression was now saddened.

"I suppose you plan on taking me back to the palace now."

Finn eyed her for a few moments as she looked down sadly at the sunflower, which had only three leaves left.

"Well, my job is to keep you safe. I suppose I can keep you safe out here."

She looked up at him looking rather worried.

"Are you sure it's not a problem? I don't want to be a nuisance."

"It's alright. Trust me, you're safe."

She gave him a warm smile and went back to plucking the last leaves on the sunflower before turning her attention back to the large tree. Finn looked at it as a few birds landed on a few of its branches; birds that Finn hadn't seen back in Ooo.

"That is a big tree." he said.

"Have you never seen it before?" he shook his head. "This is the oldest tree in Olympia. We call it the Guardian Tree, and it's from it that the Vanguard get their symbol. I've always enjoyed coming here. There's a sense of… wonder that you can't find anywhere else in the city, which is saying a lot since it can fly. Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble."

"It's alright. I'm actually… not from around here. It's good to know more about this place."

She slightly tilted her head at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Are you… from Earth?"

"Y-yeah."

"I heard the soldiers talking among themselves. How a there was a Sentinel who came from the world below. People say it's a wasteland."

"Well, people are wrong. It's actually a great place."

She picked up another sunflower and stared at it while spinning it.

"Sometimes I wish I could go down there."

"Maybe you will."

"Unlikely. Being the princess, there's no way my mother or the Sentinels would allow me to go. I guess I have to get used to learning about Earth from books and tales from within these glass walls."

Finn couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He knew what it was like to want something that's beyond your control to achieve. Olympia was an astonishing place, but it still didn't have the same feeling as being in Ooo; despite being surrounded by his own kind now, he still felt like an outsider. He was pulled from his train of thought when she resumed talking.

"I've read a lot of stories about Earth. A titan of water and landmasses that seemed to stretch out forever. Fields of green and lands filled with nothing but snow in every direction. I envy you for being able to live in such a place. Are the stories true?"

"They're true. But there's more to it than that."

"Like what?" she asked, seeming rather amazed.

Finn spent some time coming up with the right words. He found it hard to describe Ooo to someone. He never had to. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Well, there's lands filled with nothing but fire and rock. Places where most fear to tread but you can find treasure inside. And…"

He didn't know how to continue before Christine cut on.

"And what?"

"Lands made of… candy."

She broke down to a laugh.

"Y-you know it's impolite to lie to royalty."

"B-but I'm serious! Fields of candy surrounding a candy city filled with candy people."

"You must really like candy down there."

Finn could tell she was being sarcastic, but she didn't continue to pursue the matter anymore. She had a smile on her face as she continued to spin around the flower in her hands. Finn thought he had never met anyone so innocent and so curious before. Not since… he dated Phoebe.

Christine noticed Finn's mood changed almost instantly.

"Finn, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Come on. If you're gonna be close to me most of the time you should feel comfortable speaking to me."

Finn let out a sigh.

"You just remind me of someone. Someone that was… taken away from me."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Your Highness, there you are."

They both turned towards the voice and saw Victor and Alan standing behind them.

"Mr. Strauss. You shouldn't worry. I have someone with me."

"I'm aware of that. But it's getting dark, and your mother was worried and asked for you. Sentinel Alan would escort you back to the palace."

Christine didn't reply, but Finn could tell she was sad to have to leave. She put the sunflower back on the ground next to the rest and gave one more glance to Finn.

"I hope we get to speak again."

She walked off with Alan before Finn got a chance to reply. Once they were both gone, Victor stood next to Finn as they both stared at the Guardian Tree.

"She likes you." Victor said, which caused Finn to slightly blush.

"It's not like that. She's the princess and I'm a Sentinel."

"I know. But still, she likes you. And I have a feeling you also like her."

Finn didn't reply, just remained looking at tree as he waited for his blush to recede. It didn't last long before Victor spoke again.

"Anyway, that's not why I'm here. We've located where Cypher might be holding your friends."

Finn's eyes widened and he immediately stood in front of Victor.

"Where?!"

"Let's go to Angie."

* * *

When Finn and Victor reached Angie's lab, which was actually a lot cleaner than it was before though it was still a bit messy, they found her sitting on a desk typing away in front of a monitor with Seph supporting himself on the chair she sat. He stood up straight when Finn and Victor stood beside him.

"Angie, show him what you found." Victor said.

"Well, it took a while, but I was able to find out where one of the Syndicate's facilities are. I managed to hack into one of their private networks, which I should point out that their security system is child's play, and they mentioned some place called the MO factory."

Finn's eyes widened at the mention of the home of the MOs. Last time he knew, the place was left abandoned after AMO's attack.

"There was barely any activity there a while ago. Have they set up shop?" Seph asked.

"Possibly. Also, I heard mention of… Doctor Terrance." she said the name with anger in her voice.

"Who's that?" Finn asked.

"He used to be a scientist in Olympia." Victor said. "He was one of the people who ended up missing shortly after Cypher's attack and escape. A brilliant man when he was around, but now he's been building machines and weapons for the Syndicate."

"In other words: Angie's competitor."

"Shut up, Seph. Just because he was able to design robots doesn't make him any smarter. If you only brought back one of them instead of slashing apart every one you see, I might be able to study it."

"Trust me Angie, you don't want them. They fall easily, I'd barely call them fighters. More like scrap metal. Besides, I would rather have another human watching my back than something that could explode in seconds."

Angie seemed to get frustrated with him but didn't pursue the matter further.

"Alright Seph, are you up for this mission?" Victor asked.

"Of course. And I'll be sure to take the head of that little brat if I see him."

"Wait, what about me?" Finn asked.

"You're still in training, Rookie. Field work is not something you're ready for."

"But I'm from Ooo. I know it better than most and I've been to the MO factory. I'm the best person to take and you know it. I won't rest until I get to Cypher and rescue my friends."

The three of them studied Finn. He was determined to go on the mission no matter what, especially if it meant finding Jake and Phoebe. After a few seconds, Seph sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Ok, Rookie, you can come along. But don't think you're ready to be presented to the queen just yet. Consider this part of your training. We leave now while it's getting dark."

Finn nodded and he, along with Seph and Victor, made their way out of the room. Finn went to his quarters to make several preparations before he would meet them in the hangar. Once he was ready and was heading through the hallways, he bumped into Erik.

"Hey, Finn. Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to get my friends back."

His eyes widened and he grabbed Finn by shoulders to stop him as he began walking back down the corridor.

"Whoa, whoa, so you're going to Earth?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure it's a good idea? You haven't even been here for more than a week, much less actually training, and there's a lot of stuff you still haven't mastered with your armor. What if you run into Cypher?"

"I'll kill him. No second thoughts."

Erik knew there wasn't a way to convince him otherwise, so he let him go. As Finn turned a corner back to the lobby, Erik wanted to follow him but stopped as soon as he began walking. He kept debating whether he should follow him or not and eventually turned around and began mumbling to himself.

When Finn reached the hangar he saw Seph waiting for him next to one of the VTOLs. The sky outside was dark, but that wasn't gonna stop them from leaving. He was about to enter the aircraft but was stopped by Seph placing a hand against his chest.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Rookie?"

Finn looked at him with determination. A look that Seph knew all too well from his years as a Sentinel. The look of someone who was not to be trifled with.

"I am. I _will_ get my friends back."

Seph didn't say another word. He drew back his hand and let Finn inside the VTOL then he followed. The two of them strapped in as the pilot turned on the engine and began to take off. As they flew past the roaring engines of Olympia, Finn only had his mind on his goal.

' _I'm coming for you.'_

* * *

 **Note: I don't mind any constructive criticism. Just letting ya know, silent readers.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Not entirely sure if you're being sarcastic, but I guess we'll find out what happens soon enough.**

 **Ooobserver: Yes. Yes you were.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Whip

**Chapter 8: The Whip**

The sky outside the VTOL's window was completely dark, even with the fact that they were surrounded by clouds in every direction. The aircraft shook with the strong winds but it was mostly a smooth flight, with the only sound being the engines. Finn sat on one of the seats located in the back, looking out one of the small windows as Seph sat next to him, sharpening his blade and tinkering with his armor's grapple hook.

Finn kept gazing between him and the outside of the aircraft. He was curious about Seph. A man like definitely posed a threat to anyone caught in a fight with him. Even he had to admit Seph was better than him by a long shot, but that only eased his thoughts as he would have him by his side. Growing tired of the silence, Finn risked starting a conversation.

"How long have you been a Sentinel?"

"Why do you ask?" he asked without looking at him.

"I'm just wondering since you seem to be pretty good at fighting."

"You don't have to a part of the Sentinels to know how to fight. There are people who would try to take what's precious to you, or just plain kill you. When that time comes you better be sure to be the one with a knife to their throats. Now straighten up, Rookie. You'll mess up your back."

"My name is Finn."

"Whatever makes you feel better, Rookie."

There was another uncomfortable silence between them again. Seph raised his sword closer to his face and examined it before he went back to sharpening it. The clouds outside had dissipated a bit, so Finn could finally see the ground since he was taken to Olympia. He recognized a few places, but the MO factory was still far off.

"So, where are you from?" Finn asked.

Seph looked at him and tilted his head.

"Where do you think, Rookie? Olympia."

"I mean which district. Erik and Sasha told me you came from Emerald District."

Finn was pushed against the wall of the plane when Seph suddenly raised his sword and pointed the tip mere inches from his eye.

"If you want to keep having ears, you'll pretend you didn't. No one, especially you, has the place to ask. I suggest you keep to your own business and I'll keep to mine."

Finn just nodded and Seph drew back his sword and placed it inside his sheath. The rest of the flight was spent again in silence, Finn being mindful not to say anything out of place. As much as Seph acted tough, he could tell it wasn't just the attitude he chose to use. He stroke Finn as the kind of guy who had seen plenty of fighting, even more so than him.

"You fight really well." Finn said attempting to continue talking.

"You never shut up, do you?"

"I just feel like I shouldn't be fighting alongside a complete stranger."

"Afraid I'll stick a sword through your heart?"

"I've already been struck by a sword. It's not an experience I want to go through again."

"Trust me, that won't be the last time you feel the sharp end of a sword. Just make sure the next one doesn't kill ya."

"I won't rest until every single member of the Syndicate pays for what they've done. I'll be the one doing the stabbing."

Seph continued to eye Finn, as if he was studying him. He found it unsettling how emotionless he was. He would sound angry, depressed, happy, but he would always keep the exact same expression. Finn noticed in in training as well when they fought without their helmets. His face was always calm, even when Finn was able to land a hit on him.

"I like your courage. But remember, you don't have to do everything alone. You'll always have the Sentinels at your back. We all have as much reason as you to see them pay." he looked away for a second and sighed. "There's and old saying I heard when I was younger: 'A lion can kill a wolf with ease, but a pack of wolves can kill a lion in seconds.' … Heh, how ironic considering our current situation."

"Don't lions travel in packs too?"

Seph just looked back at him and leaned in, resting his hand on his knee.

"We won't let them form packs."

* * *

The rest of the trip was spent in silence between Finn and Seph until the VTOL began to lose altitude and began hovering a few feet above the ground. The two of them raised their helmets and stood at the edge of the door. The pilot opened it and gave them the all clear before they both jumped down several feet onto the hard ground into a forest, though neither of them felt the impact from their armor. The hard winds that shook the trees faded when the VTOL began flying back up.

They had been dropped about a mile from their destination to avoid being detected, but the armor's speed ability allowed them to reach it in a matter of minutes. They stopped on a small ridge that overlooked the factory, which to their surprise seemed just as abandoned as always.

"I swear, if Angie got the readings wrong…" Seph began to say before Finn pointed his finger to the open field in front of the building.

There was a group of the same robots that had attacked the Fire Kingdom walking towards it. There weren't many, but Seph stopped Finn from pursuing them.

"Let's try to be stealthy about this."

They continued waiting until the group walked inside before they began running across the field. Rather than running straight towards the main entrance, they placed their backs against a wall on the side of the building right below a window high above. They both used their grappling hooks and were able to hang off the edge, though since Finn was still a bit untrained he landed on the wall a bit harder than he intended, which caused Seph to look at him.

"Sorry."

Seph shook his head and the two of them peeked inside. Even though it was dark, the light of the moon shined through to illuminate the area.

The entire inside was a mess like always, with parts lying all over the ground and looking as if a simple hurricane would topple the whole thing down. Seph spotted the group of robots walk onto a platform on one of the corners of the room, being hidden from ground view by some rubble, before it went down and a hatch closed on the floor.

"They're underground." Finn pointed out.

"Yeah, figures."

Making sure there was no one to hear, Seph punched and broke the window so they could climb inside. Finn was still getting used to his armor, so falling from a long distance towards the ground without getting hurt was still disorienting to him. Once they were both in, they made their way to the hatch where the lift had gone.

The hatch was sealed tight and couldn't be opened by force, so Seph drew out his swords and began cutting along the edges while Finn held on to the pieces so they wouldn't fall down. It took a few minutes but they were able to make a large enough hole for them to fit through, though the only thing they could see was pitch blackness until it was lit up again by a small faint light near the bottom of the shaft.

"Night vision: on." Seph said.

Finn did the same and the screen in front of him flashed before the shaft turned a green color and he could see more clearly along the walls.

"We'll repel down. It's too long of a fall for us to jump, otherwise we'll end up with our knees bent the opposite direction." Seph said.

Finn cringed at the thought. The two of them attached their grapple hooks to the edge of the shaft and began to slowly walk down the wall. All the while, they were both careful not to slip or accidentally hit a pipe. They only went down several meters before the sound of gears and chains filled the chamber, making both of them look down to see the lift coming back up. Neither of them had to say anything to the other, it was clear they had to hide.

Finn was able to find a small gap along the wall that was just big enough for him to fit in sideways, but his arm still hung a bit loose off the edge on account of holding on to the hook's line. He looked around trying to find Seph but couldn't see him in the darkness. He had to assume he had found a hiding spot as well. The chamber began to grow louder with the sound of the lift, indicating it was about to pass by him.

His eyes widened when the lift carrying another group of robots went right past him, scraping part of his arm and making him groan, not from pain but from the noise it made. Luckily he wasn't noticed by any from the group and sighed in relief before he remembered…The rope!

He looked up and saw that the edge of the lift was pushing the rope further towards the wall, which meant it would eventually snap and… it snapped. The hook hit against the side of the lift and began to fall down along with Finn.

He quickly retracted the hook and shot it gain towards the bottom of the lift, where it managed to get impaled and allowed Finn to hang from it. It wasn't long before he saw Seph again also hanging from the lift and swung next to him. They looked up when the lift stopped as it crashed against the broken hatch.

"Alert! Alert! Obstruction in lift hatch. Locate cause of sabotage and locate any intruders." one of the robots said as its distorted voice echoed through the shaft.

"We better move. Those things have night vision as well and they'll spot us if they decide to look down. The entire place will be on high alert, so stay on your guard." Seph said.

Finn nodded and the two continued to repel down. Once they reached the floor, they turned off their night vision since the hall up ahead was lit well enough. They stayed inside the shaft for a few more seconds as a patrol ran across the hall, but luckily didn't go towards them. Once it was clear, the two treaded carefully through the underground MO factory.

The place looked different than Finn remembered it. The halls were shinier, there were more lights, and he couldn't spot the trolley system anywhere. He assumed it was cut off to make space for the rest of the structure, but he still didn't understand how they could've changed the entire facility in such a short amount of time in such a scale. Then he remembered the robots.

Seph stated that they should try to find the surveillance room, so that's what they set out to find. They both kept creeping around corners as more patrols went by and attempted to avoid any security cameras. There were a few close calls and one where they nearly had to start fighting, but they were able to remain hidden for the duration of the trip. It didn't get any easier, however, as the amount of patrols kept increasing as they pressed on, each one seeming to be in a hurry.

"They must be searching for us." Finn said.

"They think there are intruders in the base but they're not entirely sure we're here yet. I suggest we keep it that way."

Their trek continued until the two reached a hallway that was being guarded by two robots. They weren't spotted as they stayed behind one of the corners, with Seph peeking around the corner and Finn readying himself to unsheathe his sword if anything happened. To their luck, the robots turned around and began facing the opposite direction.

Seph gave Finn a hand gesture and he began to move towards them while slowly drawing his sword. Finn did the same as they approached the duo, hoping that they wouldn't turn around before they were within reach. To their luck once again, they didn't.

Finn stabbed the one on the right straight through the chest then quickly swung it upwards to cut the upper body in half. Seph did the same with his but instead retracted the sword and sliced its head off then cut the torso in half diagonally. Both robots fell to the ground with a _clank_ and covered the entire floor with the oil that was spilling out of their bodies. After twitching for several more seconds they stopped moving and Finn and Seph continued forward, not having the time to hide the bodies and clean up the mess.

It took a while but they were finally able to find the security room, which was guarded by another robot but was taken out before it noticed them. There were a lot of screens all put together showing different locations around the facility, but Finn couldn't find Phoebe or Jake in any of them. He did find a stack of DVDs, which one of them had written on top _"Test Subject: Phoebe Flame."_. He instantly grabbed it and placed in a slot where it began playing on one of the screens.

There was Phoebe, tied to a chair. She had her head down and her hair, which wasn't lit up like always, was covering her face. She was crying and saying some words that Finn couldn't understand. Save for a few.

"Please… please stop. I can't it anymore."

Her voice was weak and she kept speaking between shallow breaths. Then another voice responded from somewhere off frame.

"Oh, my dear, we've barely begun. We've got a lot to do if this is to work, so I suggest you start to loosen up a bit."

There was some silence before he came into the camera's view. Based on how he looked, Finn assumed it was Terrance. He was holding a strange device in his hand and pointed it towards Phoebe's forehead gem as he gave a menacing grin.

"Now, just gonna turn up the frequency a bit…"

Suddenly, bolts of electricity ran through all of Phoebe's body, making her shriek in pain. It happened one, two, three times, and each shriek echoed through the room and sent shivers down Finn's spine. Before she shrieked again, the screen went black when Finn punched right through it, again, and again, and again.

"I'M GONNA RIP OFF HIS HEAD WHEN I FIND HIM!"

He was grabbed by the shoulder by Seph and was pulled back before he could continue.

"Ease up, Rookie! There might be guards nearby and they might hear you. If you want to see her again I suggest you keep your head together. Understand?"

Finn was breathing heavily at this point, barely able to control all of the anger he was currently feeling. Trying to kill him was one thing, but torturing the ones he cared for the most in the world was the one thing he would never forgive. He eventually began to take deep breaths and began to calm down, focusing on the task at hand.

"Ok." he whispered.

"They'll all answer for their crimes. You have my word." he let go of Finn and turned his attention back to the monitors that weren't broken. He pointed to one in particular. "It's the room from the video. She's not in there but the camera is located not too far from here. Let's go."

Finn didn't hesitate for a second as he began to follow Seph through the hallways once again, avoiding patrols in the process. There were a few times where they had to take out a few, which only increased their chances of discovery, but there was no other choice. It took them several more frustrating minutes for Finn of sneaking and peeking corners until they were able to reach the room. The first thing Seph did was close the door and take out the camera surveilling it as Finn began to look around to find Phoebe, who wasn't on the chair from the video as Seph had pointed out. But then he saw her.

She was tied down to a small bed in a corner of the room opposite of where the camera was pointing. There wasn't much light to illuminate her face but Finn was able to when he stood above her, gasping in shock.

Her flames were completely gone. Her body wasn't lit up like always and her skin was now rosy. Her hair was no longer vibrant and didn't have its orange glow; it was instead loose and red. The red gem on her forehead was gone, leaving nothing but skin. There were scorch marks from the device Terrance used on her around some parts of her body, but the most noticeable was the outline around her head where the gem used to be. She was unconscious but her breathing was raspy. Finn took off his helmet to examine her better as he placed his hand on her forehead. There wasn't the slightest hint of steam.

"What did they do to you?"

He was tapped in the back by Seph.

"Grab her and let's go. There's still Terrance and your dog friend to find. And I'm pretty sure we've already overstayed our welcome."

Finn nodded and put his helmet back on. He took out his sword and sliced away the restraints so he could pick Phoebe up by placing one arm under her torso and the other under her legs.

Seph led Finn through the corridors as he carried Phoebe in his arms, checking her every time they stopped to make sure she was still breathing. It wasn't long before the two of them found themselves in a large cylindrical chamber.

The roof could be seen but it seemed to keep going down for miles towards a black void. There were multiple bridges that connected one side of the chamber to the other. Finn still couldn't believe how much they had changed the factory. They could hear the chatter and footsteps of the robots on the other bridges but they weren't being seen since all of them appeared to be in a bigger hurry than before to notice them. It was safe to assume they found the robots Finn and Seph had killed.

"Let's move. Quietly." Seph said.

Finn followed as they began crossing the bridge, trying their best to not look down. Each bridge was about two feet wide, which made it impossible for a person, or robot, to walk right next to each other while crossing. They managed to reach the other side and Seph was the first to pass through the doorway right before a metal door blocked the entire section, leaving Finn on his own on the bridge with Phoebe in his arms.

"Seph!"

" _You alright, Rookie?"_ his voice could be heard in Finn's helmet through a headpiece.

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to get to you? It's sealed off."

" _Our blades can cut through it. You start on the right and I'll start on the left. It'll be quicker."_

Before Finn could talk further he saw Seph's blade cut through the lower left part of the door and begin to slowly make his way up. Finn put Phoebe sitting against the wall next to him and pulled out his sword. He knelt down and prepared to begin cutting.

"Come to rescue the damsel in distress?"

Finn stopped as he was about to start cutting when he heard the strange voice. He quickly turned around and saw a woman standing on the bridge behind him holding a green whip in one hand and a dagger in the other. Finn quickly readied his sword.

"And you are?" he asked.

She chuckled as she began to walk towards him while running the dagger across the whip.

"My name is of no importance to you. Just know that I am one of the deadliest members of the Syndicate. And also the last person you will ever see in your life, Sentinel."

Finn didn't attempt anything, just kept his sword ready as she stopped moving towards him.

"Where's Jake?!"

"You mean that mutt? He's not here. Don't worry, though. Cypher will make sure he's well treated. Mostly."

Finn instantly leaped forward and swung his blade only for her to completely jump over him and hit him across his back with the glowing whip. He quickly turned around after recovering to find her leaning against the rail making the notion of checking her fingernails. She looked at him and smiled before blowing a kiss at him.

"You'll have to do better than that, sweetie."

Finn looked behind her and saw that Seph was still far from cutting the door down.

"Seph, I'm in a bit of a situation."

" _Kinda busy right now. Just stay alive."_

 _Easier said than done._ "I'm not afraid of you."

"Whoever said you were. If anything, it'll make this fight that much more enjoyable."

She stood on the center of the bridge again and started to wave her whip around. She swung it forward and barely scrapped past Finn's helmet before he jumped back, only to have her right in front of him as soon as he looked back up.

She swung her dagger at him and he blocked it with his sword while she used her other hand to wrap the whip around his other arm. The heat from the whip was making steam come out of the armor piece but Finn still didn't feel the burn. He managed to escape the grip by swinging his leg forward and making her stumble back before she swung the whip again and instead gripped his sword arm.

Finn swung his arm back to pull her in close only for her to jump over him and swing her dagger across the front of his helmet, causing the screen that allowed him to see to go dark. Finn was then pushed forward and landed on his chest when she kicked him from behind. He heard her chuckle and he instantly got back up while removing his helmet, making her that wasn't covered by an eyepatch widen.

"Ooo, handsome."

Finn ran forward and swung his sword again. She knelt down and instantly jumped up as he was within inches from her and wrapped her legs around his neck, spinning him around until she threw straight against the ground and placing her feet, which both had heels, over his neck to pin him down and the other to hold down the arm with the sword. She knelt down and pointed the dagger right over his eye, then began to slide it down his cheek, but not tough enough to cut through his skin. She then moved across his neck before she stopped over his heart.

"Maybe I'll finish Cypher's work by making sure to stab your heart this time." she kept moving the dagger in a circular formation. "Or maybe I'll just carve it out and keep it as a souvenir… Shame. You should've joined us rather than those sorry excuses for soldiers."

Finn was able to catch a quick glimpse of the door to see Seph was nearly done cutting through. Finn took his free hand and swung at her but she jumped back before he hit, allowing him to stand back up. It didn't last long before she wrapped the whip around his neck and swung him over the edge of the bridge and making him grab on to the rails. Her whip was still wrapped around his neck and was burning him, and it would choke him if he let go. Which is exactly what happened when she reached him and hit his hand, causing him to lose his grip.

The fall wasn't big enough to break his neck but the whip was still chocking him. He remained hanging from the ledge as he looked around for anything that might be of use but found nothing. He could see her giving a menacing grin from above as she watched him suffocate. With time running short, there was only one thing he could attempt.

He threw his sword upwards towards her, impaling it on her shoulder and causing her to scream and let go of the whip. Finn quickly unwrapped it from his neck and aimed his arm upwards to shoot the grappling hook at the underside of the bridge. He quickly repelled up and swung under the bridge and back on top while retracting the hook. She was still there trying to pull out the sword but was stopped when Finn ran towards her and grabbed it, using his elbow to hit her and sent her tumbling towards the ground. He laid on top of her as he kept the sword pressed through her shoulder.

"Well… played."

"Where is Jake?!"

She chuckled.

"He belongs to us now. He will aid us in our pursuit of freedom. And one day they will now to fear and respect us."

"What do you mean? What is Cypher planning?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she grinned and swung her leg upward to hit Finn on the back of his head. She used the chance of him being dizzy to slide from under him and pushed him back against the ground, lying on top of him and pulling out the sword from her shoulder. She aimed it towards his face, which caused some blood to drip down onto his cheek.

"Goodbye, Sentinel."

She raised the sword even higher and prepared to stab Finn. He closed his eyes and waited for it but instead just hear her let out a loud gasp, along with the sound of tearing flesh. He opened his eyes and saw Seph sword impaled through her chest from behind, covered in her blood. The sword went back and she held her chest wound briefly before falling sideways on the ground, allowing Finn to stand up.

Seph walked towards the bleeding Syndicate member and knelt in front of her. Finn took one quick glance to make sure Phoebe was ok before looking back at them. Seph removed his helmet and looked at the woman in the eyes as she began to draw her final breaths.

"Hello, Nadia." he said.

"Seph… still the same backstabber as always, I see."

"I'm not the backstabber here."

Finn was about to jump at her when she reached for her pockets and pulled out a small device with a red button on it. Finn though it was a bomb before she pressed it and red lights started blaring all around and an alarm sounded. A voice spoke through the speakers.

" _Warning: Emergency protocol has been activated. This facility will self-destruct in T-minus 2 minutes."_

"For… our glory." those were her last words before her eyes closed with her final breath.

Finn didn't waste time grabbing his sword as the two began to run towards the door, which Seph had finished cutting. He pointed towards the unconscious Phoebe lying down against the wall.

"Grab her and let's go!"

Finn nodded and began running towards her but was forced to step back when a group of robots started shooting from one of the bridges above using rifles. Unlike the sword users, who were brown, these were black. Seph quickly ran in and, to Finn's amazement, began to use his sword to slash the bullets out of the air as they came towards them. Finn didn't know how someone could move their arms so fast.

"Go!" Seph shouted as the bullets kept coming.

Finn was snapped out of his trance and picked up Phoebe. He waited as Seph began making his way towards them and got out of the line of fire.

"What were those?" Finn asked.

"Gunners."

"How did you deflect the bullets like that?"

"Now's not the best time for a lesson. Let's move."

Seph took down any robots they came across with ease while Finn followed closely behind. The voice was still counting down to the explosion, which was only one minute. It was a few seconds later that they were able to go back to the lift they came from.

Rather than use the lift, they used their grapple hooks to boost up the shaft. Finn held on to Phoebe as tight as he could while they went up at high speed. Once they reached the top, they barely made it out the exit before the entire building behind them exploded in flames, sending them flying a few feet forward.

While Seph was able to land on his feet, Finn landed on his back, making sure Phoebe didn't hit the ground. Once he made sure she was still fine he got up and the two looked towards the crumbling MO factory.

"Alright, we got what we came for. Let's call in the chopper."

Finn gave a sigh of relief and took another glance at Phoebe. Once Seph finished the call, they both remained staring at the flames.

"You called her 'Nadia'. Did you know her?" Finn asked.

"I did."

Despite that fact, he kept his calm attitude. There's was more silence for a few more seconds as Finn continued to look at Phoebe. He could've placed her on the ground but something was telling him to not let go.

"Why do you think she blew up the entire facility?" Finn asked.

"Hide evidence? Try to kill us? Who knows? Let's just be glad we weren't caught in the explosion."

Finn nodded the VTOL was approaching their location. He got on once it landed and placed Phoebe on one of the seats, sitting next to her to make sure she was safe for the flight back to Olympia.

* * *

 **Note: I've read several stories in which Finn is either made immune to fire or is turned into a fire elemental. But I figured "You know what? Why not do it the other way around?" So here you have it, a powerless Flame Princess. Let's see where it goes from here, shall we?**

 **Ooobserver: I'm glad you're enjoying it. I've been through the same experience as well.**

 **TheFlyingPriest: Thanks for reading. And I'll be sure to fix make that clearer in the future.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Thanks for pointing that error out. And we'll see how it goes between Finn and Mike.**


	9. Chapter 9: Awake

**Chapter 9: Awake**

Pain. Gut wrenching pain was all Finn felt. Not from getting beat up, but from the fear and anxiousness he felt ever since he got back to Olympia. His thoughts were racing to the point where he could barely keep track of one at a time. Phoebe was lying on a bed next to him as a doctor was examining her, still unconscious ever since he and Seph came back from their mission. He was sitting in a chair next to bed waiting for the doctor to say something; anything. It was the same room Finn had woken up in when he had first arrived, and now he was here again, unsure if Phoebe would wake up again.

It had been hours since he had returned from the mission and the sun was coming up, but he never got any sleep since arriving. His foot kept tapping repeatedly on the ground and his head was rested against his hands as they covered his eyes. He removed his armor so that Angie could have it fixed but he didn't bother to receive medical attention for his injuries. Victor had advised him to get himself checked but he just kept telling him he was fine; he wanted to be by Phoebe's side. After the doctor finished, Finn instantly looked up at him.

"Is she gonna be ok?"

The doctor removed his mask and sighed.

"She's stable for now. It's too early to tell what will happen to her until she wakes up. She may have been a fire elemental once, but now… now she mostly resembles a human. _Mostly._ At least she looks the part well enough and won't burn everything she touches while she's here. But for now all we can do is wait and see if she wakes up. We'll keep monitoring her. We don't know exactly what the Syndicate might have done to her."

"Thanks, Doc."

The doctor nodded and made his way out of the room, leaving Finn on his own with Phoebe.

He stood up and knelt closer to her as he ran a finger through her long red hair. Her breathing was slow and steady compared to how much worse she sounded before. Even without being on fire, Finn couldn't deny that she still looked as beautiful as ever. But even though he could touch her, he couldn't bring himself to smile or feel any kind of happiness knowing all she had to go through and not knowing if she'd ever open her eyes. He could only hope.

"Please… please wake up." he whispered softly as he leaned in closer. He then heard the door open behind him and turned to see Erik.

"Finn…"

"If Victor sent you to get me you can tell him to forget it. I'm not leaving her."

"He didn't. But you should really have someone check your wounds. You have burn marks all around your neck."

"I've dealt with worse."

"I don't doubt that, but it's not like she'll be going anywhere in her current state. She'll be here when you get back and the doctors said they'd be keeping an eye on her."

Finn sighed and turned back to face Phoebe.

"I just… I don't want to leave her again."

Instead of replying, Erik walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. She does."

Erik gave him a few pore pats gave him a reassuring smile.

"Come on, man. She'll pull through, I guarantee it."

Finn stared at her for a few seconds before sighing and looking back at Erik.

"I'll be down in a minute."

Erik nodded and left the room, leaving Finn alone with Phoebe again. He got up and took one more glance at her before heading towards the door. Before he made it, however, he heard coughing coming from behind him, causing him to quickly turn around to find Phoebe squirming and groaning around on the bed and put her hand on top of her head. Finn instantly ran back towards her and knelt back next to the bed.

"Phoebe."

She sat up on the bed without opening her eyes while Finn helped her. She kept her hand over her head, obviously dealing with a headache. Her eyes began to slowly open, which were still their radiant crimson color and began looking around the room before she stopped at Finn, fully opening her eyes when she saw him sitting next to her.

"Are you alright?"

The girl didn't say a single word. She didn't even appear to be breathing. She just continued to stare at him with her eyes wide. Then he could see small tears forming in them.

"F-Finn?"

Before he even got the chance to reply she launched herself forwards and wrapped her arms around him. Despite just waking up from a small coma, her strength was definitely back to the point where he could barely breathe. She started out crying softly but then it began to pick up until she was wailing into his shoulder. At the same time he hugged her back, realizing she thought him for dead after the attack on Fire Kingdom, so he just remained still until she would finish.

"I-I thought y-you died." she could barely even speak.

He wanted to comfort her, especially after the numerous tortures she went through in his absence. Although part of him was just glad he could hug her without getting burned, which is something she must have not realized it yet, however, because she pushed away from him and looked at him with wide eyes as tears continued to run down her cheeks.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to…" she stopped and began to examine him only to find he wasn't burning at all. She looked down at her hands and gasped when she saw they weren't on fire. "Wha-what happened?!"

"I don't know. They did… something and now your powers are gone."

She kept looking at her hands then the rest of her body before looking around the room.

"Where are we?"

"Someplace safe. Everything is fine for now."

She was still confused about everything around her but she didn't bother to investigate further; she just went back to hugging him, enjoying his touch that she couldn't experience before. When they separated she ran her hand across his chest, which made him blush before he realized what she was doing.

"I… I saw you get stabbed. What happened?"

"I was rescued and brought back to this place. They helped me find you, though Jake is still missing."

"Who's 'We'?"

Their conversation was cut short when the door opened and the doctor stepped in. Phoebe looked at the man with shock.

"Finn, he's-"

"Human. I know."

The doctor steeped right next to the bed and smiled at the two.

"Ah, you're already awake. Fantastic. Finn, if you don't mind, Angie said she was waiting for you. I'll tend to her in the meantime."

Finn looked back at Phoebe, who clearly didn't want him to go. He placed one hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll be back in a bit. These people will keep you safe. I promise."

She opened her mouth to argue but ended up saying nothing and nodded. Finn got up and allowed the doctor to begin examining her, giving her one more glance before he stepped out of the room.

As he walked through the lobby's security checkpoint and made his way to Angie's lab, he couldn't take his mind off Phoebe. He wondered why the Hunters would take away her powers leave her weak. If from what he had seen from them so far was true, she would've been more useful to them as an elemental. Then again, they also had her father, which was also another worry in his mind about what they would use him for.

Once he reached the door to Angie's lab, he opened the door and began to step inside, only to be pulled from inside and slammed against the wall near the corner of the room behind some boxes. He could barely make out whoever grabbed him as they ran towards the doorway and closed it again. Once the strange figure knelt next to Finn, he could clearly see it was Angie.

He was about to ask what she was doing before she placed one of her fingers over his mouth and shushed him. As she did, she grabbed what seemed like a small cage with a broken lock off the ground. The entrance appeared as it had been busted open and the lock appeared as if it had been gnawed on.

"He escaped." she said quietly.

"Who?" Finn asked in the same tone just as the sound of something falling on the ground could be heard across the room.

"Jeffrey." she looked over the pile of boxes and scanned the room before looking back at Finn. "We have to find him and catch him."

"Catch what?"

A hissing noise could suddenly be heard in the room, though it was in a different location than the previous noise. Finn also got up to peek over the boxes to try and find the source. He was only able to catch a glimpse for a few seconds as something off the corner of his eye scampered from behind one table to the other. Whatever it was, it was small, but dangerous considering Angie's behavior.

"I think I saw it."

"I saw him too.' She grabbed Finn by the shoulder and sat him down on the ground. "Ok, listen. I want you to start walking over there _slowly_ and draw him out. Once he's in sight, I'll take the cage and lock him in. K?"

"What?! No, not 'K'. What is that thing?"

"It's a 'he' and-"

Another hiss could be heard again, this time it was louder.

"Fine. Just be ready with that cage."

Angie nodded and watched as Finn stood up and began to slowly walk around the boxes and began walking in the direction that he last saw it.

He could hear it walking across the floor but could never get a good look at it from how fast it moved. He was only a few feet away when he looked back to see Angie with the cage in her hands. Her eyes widened while looking at something behind him, which made him turn around and have Jeffrey jump towards his face.

Finn screamed and tripped on something, making him fall to the ground and causing Jeffrey to fall off his face. Just before it jumped back on, however, Angie quickly grabbed it and put it back in the cage. She closed the little hatch and locked it with a new lock. Once Finn was finished gasping for breath, he was able to get a good look at the creature in the cage.

"A SPIDER?!"

"Yes. This is Jeffrey, a little project of mine. And he is going to be grounded for a while for leaving his cage without my permission."

"Is that thing poisonous?"

"Yeah. But don't worry, you would already be dead if he had bitten you."

"Just keep it away from me. I hate spiders."

Jeffrey hissed at him from the cage as Angie placed it on top of one of the tables. Both their eyes were drawn to the door when Victor and Seph walked in.

"Ah, there you are, Finn." Victor said.

Seph just remained quiet and walked over to the table where Jeffrey was and began to tease it by taking his finger in and out of the bars, causing it to hiss in frustration every time it failed to bite him.

Once everything had settled, Finn was able to take in his surroundings. He saw his armor placed in the room, fully fixed since he had come back, but he was stopped from putting it on when Angie grabbed his shoulders and sat him down on a chair to check his injuries. The woman was stronger than she looked.

"What kind of weapons has the Syndicate been making?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.

"Whatever their using, I'm sorry to say they've bested you once again, Angie."

Angie seemed annoyed at Seph's remark, though his facial expression was still the same as always. Finn was surprised that a person like him could even have a sense of humor.

"Seph tells me the two of you managed to take down one of Cypher's lieutenants." Victor said.

"We did." Finn replied.

"Well, can't say I wouldn't have preferred to have her be brought back alive, but at least it's one less to deal with. So," he clapped his hands, "From what we've seen so far these people can not only create weapons of higher capabilities than ours, but they can also change a person's very own body as shown by the current state of, what was her name?... Ah, Phoebe. This is bad. They could be working on something much bigger than we anticipated."

"We still haven't been able to find where they're keeping the Fire Giant. We don't know how they plan to use it, but something tells me they'll be able to make it stronger than it already is." Seph said.

"Just one of those things set fire to entire section of Earth. I can't imagine what would happen if they somehow upgraded it." Angie said.

"What do you mean? Are you talking about Fire Kingdom?" Finn asked. Seph was the one who replied.

"You don't think some form of "magic" was responsible for its creation do you?" he turned to Victor. "If we plan on doing something, we better do it soon."

"We will, but first we need to know where they are. Plus, we don't exactly know how many of them are there. We could be completely outgunned."

"We need more Sentinels then." Angie said.

"And who, pray tell, is qualified enough to join at the moment?" Seph asked.

"Me."

The group turned to the doorway to see Phoebe standing there resting against the door frame. Erik was standing right next to her.

"Sorry, sir. She kept insisting she was fine and that she should she brought to the person in charge."

"It's alright. You are dismissed, Sentinel." Victor told Erik. The young man gave a quick salute and went on his way. Finn got up and walked towards Phoebe once he was gone.

"What are you doing?"

"They invaded my home, killed CB, kidnapped my father, tortured me, and took away my powers! I want to see them pay for every single one of their crimes. If becoming a 'Sentinel' is all it takes to fight them, I wish to join. And hopefully, I can somehow get my powers back."

The entire group looked at each other then back at her. Victor was the one to speak.

"These are very dangerous people we're dealing with. You may have been a capable fighter with your powers, but now-"

"I'm still just as capable. I don't need powers to fight."

Victor studied her for a few seconds and then turned to Finn.

"What do you think, Finn? Do you think she'd make a good Sentinel?"

Finn looked at Phoebe then back at the group, unsure of what to say. He knew Phoebe wouldn't stop until Cypher paid for his crimes, just like him, but he'd be putting her in danger. The last thing he wanted was to see her lying motionless on the ground. Though, while her powers were gone, he could still see the same fire in her eyes that showed she wouldn't give up no matter what, and he knew the feeling all too well. He took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at Victor, who was waiting for his response.

"Yes. I think she'd make a great one."

Finn thought he saw a smile appear on her face before it disappeared again as she waited to hear Victor's response. Finn knew she was a good fighter, but even he had his doubts when it came to fighting the Syndicate, especially Cypher. But deep down, he had faith she would prove otherwise.

"Very well." Victor said. "If you really wish to join us and help stop the Syndicate, I won't stop you. But there's a lot of procedures we have to go through first, plus training. Let's get to it."

The next few minutes were spent taking Phoebe through the same process that Finn went through. They implanted the I.D. on her hand, causing her to wince when it merged into her skin. Then they went back to Angie's lab, where she began taking measurements of her and asking a few questions as Finn kept an eye out for Jeffrey to pounce at him again. Angie examined her a bit more to see if she was capable enough to fight. While she was still a bit tired, she seemed healthy enough to Finn's relief.

"Ok, everything seems good." Angie said while she walked next to the same machine that gave Finn his armor and activated it, causing it to open. "Just step in here."

Everyone waited as Phoebe just seemed to stare at the machine in front of her. She took a step forward every so often, but then stopped.

"Sometime today." Seph said, sounding rather annoyed.

Finn could notice something was wrong with her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Could you excuse us for a minute?" he asked the group.

Victor and Angie both nodded while Seph just kept looking annoyed. Finn took Phoebe just outside the room and made sure they were out of ears reach of the others.

"What's wrong? I know Angie might make it seem scary but you won't get hurt."

"It's not that. I…"

"What? You know you can tell me."

She looked around the hallway to check if anyone was eavesdropping them then took a deep breath.

"Ever since I got out of my lamp I've had… trouble going into closed spaces. I start to shake, I have trouble breathing, and I feel like the walls just keep getting closer and will eventually crush me. I spent most of my life locked up and after experiencing real freedom for the first time… I just can't bear the thought of being locked up again."

"Hey, hey, no one is locking you up ever again as long as I'm around. It'll be over in just a few seconds and know that I'll be right outside through the whole thing. Ok?"

"I don't know if I can."

"You said you would do anything to see justice brought to Cypher, and I would as well." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can go through this. I know you can."

She didn't seem too convinced and appeared slightly nervous but she eventually nodded. Finn gave her a warm smile and the two walked back into the lab where everyone was still waiting for them.

"All set?" Angie asked.

"Yeah. I'm ready."

"Very well. Step inside. Oh, wait." she reached into her pocket and pulled a small hair tie. "Tie your hair."

Phoebe grabbed the band and tied her hair into a ponytail. She eyed the machine before looking back at Finn, who was still smiling at her to keep her from getting afraid. She took one last deep breath before she stepped inside and was strapped in by the metal shackles. She was about to tell them to let her back out, but kept from doing so when she looked back at Finn. For some reason she didn't understand, his presence alleviated her fears; for the most part. It didn't last long after the machine closed its doors and she let out a yelp from the sudden enclosure.

Her breathing was becoming heavier as the time went by and she could feel something dripping down her forehead, which only served to make her even more paranoid. She was on the verge of screaming again before she heard slight tapping against the door in front of her. She knew in an instant it was Finn letting her know he was still there, which actually served to calm her down a bit before a voice started speaking.

" _Systems online. Occupant fully secure. Ready to begin arming procedure of the Type III."_

She could feel her heart racing as she waited for whatever happened. Her fears returned when another bright light shined down on her.

On the outside, Finn had his hand placed against the surface of the machine and slightly tapped on it, hoping Phoebe was doing alright. The bright blue light could be seen through the small gap in the center, meaning the arming process had already started. Finn removed his hand when Victor placed his on his shoulder.

"She'll be alright, Finn. You've been through the process."

"You wouldn't understand what she must be going through right now."

Victor raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what he meant before the noises of the machine stopped and the doors opened.

The armor Phoebe wore was noticeably different than Finn's. Rather than being white, it was mostly black and the sides, from her armpit to her hip, was red. The helmet that covered her face looked more or less the same, except the front was orange. The shape was different as well on account of her female posture. It was leaner and the shoes had small heels on them.

Once the shackles loosened around her arms and feet she was able to step out of the machine. She was breathing heavily, and it was noticeable by the helmet she wore.

"Is it over?" she asked, sounding out of breath.

"It is. You're all set." Angie said.

The first thing Finn did was walk up to her and remove her helmet so she could breathe properly. Her skin was completely covered in sweat, something that surprised even her since she never got sweaty her whole life. Finn just guessed it was another effect of what Terrance did to her. She went back to her calm self as Angie began to examine the armor to make sure it fit properly, which it did.

"Alright, you're all set. A few things to keep in mind though…"

Angie explained to Phoebe everything she had to Finn. Phoebe seemed to grasp the concept very quickly. She didn't appear as confused as Finn did when he first arrived in Olympia, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't actually human.

"… I decided to install Type III armor since it's lighter and allows you to move quicker, though I hope you don't mind a bit less protection."

"It's fine. It feels kinda good, actually."

Seph, who had remained quiet for the entire time walked up.

"Alright, it's time to begin your training. We'll begin with the basics then we'll practice your sparring."

"Ok. Who will I be sparring with?"

Finn stepped forward to offer himself before Seph cut him off and uttered the words that instantly filled Finn with a combination of worry and anger.

"You'll be sparring with Mike."

"MIKE?!"

Finn's yell alerted everyone in the room, except Seph, and made them look towards him. He hated the idea of Phoebe being put up against him. In fact, he hated the idea of putting her up against anyone who wasn't himself, even just for training but he knew how rough it could get. He hadn't fought with Mike yet, but he could tell the guy was the very definition of rough.

"Got a problem, Rookie?"

"Yeah! You can't put her up against him."

"And why not? As far as I know, you don't get a say in the matter, Rookie."

"And why won't you stop calling me 'Rookie'?"

"Because that's what you are… Rookie."

"Enough!" they both stopped their arguing and turned to Victor when he yelled. Finn was surprised seeing someone who was normally calm snap like that. "Bickering over training partners will get us nowhere. Right now Cypher is working on something which we have absolutely no clue about and he might strike soon. Finn, you will respect Seph's decision and Phoebe will be trained just like any others."

"But…" his attention was drawn to Phoebe when she placed a hand on his shoulder. He winced a bit as she pressed on it harder than she meant to on account of her armor.

"Finn, you don't have to worry about me. I'll do fine. I know I don't have my powers but that doesn't make me any less skilled in combat. I'm more skilled with a sword than you might think."

Finn still wasn't fully convinced, but he had to find it in himself to believe she could do it. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Fine. She can train with Mike."

"It's not like you had a say in the matter." Seph said.

Finn ignored him and the group went towards the training ground once he put on his armor.

* * *

 **Note: Not much to say. As always, criticism is welcome.**

 **Fiery Crusader: I'm glad you find it interesting. I was honestly expecting some hate for that.**


	10. Chapter 10: Rivalries

**Chapter 10: Rivalries**

Phoebe's first time in the training grounds actually went a bit better than Finn's. She had a bit more control over her momentum and was able to use the grappling hook with ease, aside from a few hiccups but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. Her fighting moves were also good, though she was only testing them against dummies. Mike was currently dealing with some other matters so she just focused her time to listen to all the hints Seph and Victor gave her while Angie made sure none of her equipment malfunctioned.

The sword she was given was exactly like Finn's. Now that he realized, all the Sentinel's swords were the same except for Seph's. It was on more than one occasion in which she nearly cut right through a dummy and her sword spun completely around nearly hitting Seph, but the other Sentinel seemed barely fazed as he blocked every single incoming blow with his own blade. It would be a while before she got used to using a Sentinel blade. Finn spent most of the time training as well under Victor's orders, though he wanted to be helping out Phoebe as well.

He found himself smiling every so often when she did something that seemed to please the other Sentinels. Plus there were also the moments where Angie forcefully grabbed her twisted her limbs around to check the armor, which made her make an expression that caused Finn to laugh before she looked in his direction. All of Finn's enjoyment was cut short, however, when he saw Mike entering the training ground.

Finn couldn't help but scowl every time he saw him, even though the two of them barely interacted. He had a slight smirk on his face as he made his way towards the arena, which only served to make Finn keep watch over him even more. Once all the others noticed him, they halted Phoebe's training so that she went up to join him.

"Alright, you're up." Seph said. Finn found it annoying how he didn't call her 'Rookie'.

Finn could clearly see the surprised expression she got as soon as she laid eyes on him. She was obviously surprised at the man's size, but that didn't stop her from walking up to the arena and standing right in front of him. Just like with Finn, Mike towered over her by several inches, making her have to look up to see his face.

"So, another new one. Let's see if you impress." Mike said.

She didn't reply, instead raised her sword and took a battle stance. Mike chuckled as he put on his helmet and did the same.

Mike was the first to swing his sword downward, which Phoebe easily dodged and kneed him on the abdomen. As he staggered she swung her sword as well, making him jump back as the blade barely scraped his shoulder. As soon as he recovered, he sung his blade sideways across Phoebe's abdomen, but missed it by several inches when she jumped back then swung her own sword. He blocked it and sparks flew off from the contact.

The two of them continued their sparring for the next few minutes without either one being able to best the other. Finn was genuinely surprised at Phoebe's knowledge of sword fighting, though it might've had something to do with the fact that due to Mike's size she was quicker.

There was a point where Mike was able to push Phoebe's sword away with his, which bought him enough time to swing his fist forward and hit her straight in the abdomen. The hit had knocked the wind out of her but she was able to stand up quickly enough to not get hit from Mike's next attack. Finn was right on the verge of jumping in to help her but was stopped when Erik placed his hand on his shoulder, which Finn had completely forgotten was also there watching along with Sasha and the twins. Phoebe was able to land her own hits against Mike, but he was just as capable to land his own hits on her. Most of them were always punches, but they were always hard enough to make her fall to the ground. It was at a moment's notice, however, that everything changed.

Rather than dropping her defenses with his sword and then attacking with his fists, he was slashing away at her with the sword. The blade was able to cut through a few pieces of her armor and caused her to yelp. The fighting went on as Phoebe continued to be slashed at through all her limbs while also getting hit by normal blows. Finn had enough of it when Mike slashed at her helmet then kicked her against the ground.

Just as Mike was about to slash at her while on the ground, his sword was stopped by Finn's. Mike pushed Finn back and sliced at him, causing Finn to block and hold his ground as the tall Sentinel kept pushing against him.

"What are you doing?!" Mike shouted.

"That's enough!"

Mike pushed Finn back and broke his block, barely scrapping by Finn's abdomen before he blocked again and the two remained in a standstill.

"The Syndicate won't be easy on her when she faces them, so why should we? If she wants to join, she'll have to take any punishment coming her way!"

Finn lashed out and pushed Mike back several feet before kicking him in the stomach. As he knelt holding his abdomen, Finn elbowed him on the back and caused him to fall to the ground. Mike was able to recover quickly and swept his leg around to knock Finn down to the ground. As he fell, Mike grabbed him from underneath and tightened his grip around his waist. Finn failed to break free before Mike threw him out of the arena and against the wall that divided the courtyard.

Since Finn wasn't wearing his helmet the force of the impact caused his vision to become blurry, but he could just barely see the outline of Mike getting closer to him extremely fast. Finn was able to get out of his way as he smashed into the wall. He didn't have much time to reorient himself, however, as Mike instantly ran back towards him and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Finn did the same with him until both their swords dropped to the ground, leaving both of them just with their fists.

Mike swung at Finn first, who blocked the attack with his elbow before kicking Mike across the stomach. Mike quickly recovered and swung again, but Finn was able to dodge it before punching Mike across the side of his head, which was still protected by his helmet. He swung his arm downwards but Finn was able to dodge the blow. Finn pressed his feet against the ground and pushed himself forward as fast as he could to land another blow, but was immediately stopped when Seph kicked him in the thigh and sent him tumbling sideways to the ground. He also grabbed Mike by the arm and twisted it as he sent him tumbling towards the ground with incredible force.

He looked at the two downed Sentinels as they tried getting back up and grunted from the hits.

"I swear, sometimes it feels like I'm working with children."

Finn and Mike were both about to pounce at each other before they were both held back. Mike by Alan and Elaine and Finn by Erik and Sasha.

"I'm gonna break your arm, newbie!" Mike shouted.

"Just try it!"

Finn stopped his fidgeting when Phoebe stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest. Her helmet was off so Finn could see all of the bruises she had, which didn't work to calm him down.

"Finn, stop! I'm okay. There's no need for this."

Finn began to take slower breaths until he eventually began to calm down and so did Mike.

"That's it, buddy. Breath in, breath out." Erik said.

"Erik, you're not helping." Sasha said.

Once both of them were calm enough, they were each released. Victor walked up to them and gave a scolding look.

"We are Sentinels. If we start fighting with each other we may as well let the Syndicate win and leave the queen and the princess to die at the hands of assassins." he turned to Finn. "Finn, I understand your concern, but you need to keep your head together. You knew what Phoebe would be getting into when she agreed to join. We will do as necessary to make sure she is a capable fighter worthy of the title, so you'd best get used to it."

"But mercilessly beating her up isn't the way to go about it."Finn said.

"You didn't seem to argue when I fought against you and… what happened? Oh, yeah. I beat you mercilessly." Seph said.

Finn looked around at the entire group, who were just trying as much as they could to not intervene unless necessary. Mike had taken off his helmet and was staring at him while cracking his knuckles. Phoebe was still standing next to him, giving him a look that told him 'Don't do anything stupid'.

"I'll train her." he said.

Phoebe's eyes widened in surprise but everyone else just looked at each other.

"If I recall correctly, recruits don't train other recruits, Rookie."

"But you know I'm not your average recruit. I _can_ teach her how to fight. And it won't benefit just her, it'll benefit me too."

"Finn…" Phoebe was about to protest before Victor spoke again.

"A few days. That's what I'll give you. If she can show some actual progress, then you may keep training her afterwards. But fail, and she keeps training as we see fit. Understood?"

Finn quickly nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's tend to your wounds." Finn told Phoebe.

Just as the two were beginning to head back to the headquarters, they were stopped by Angie.

"Hold up. If you'll just leave your armor with me so that I may fix it…"

Finn then saw that both their armor sets and Mike's were bent and were missing several pieces.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize. It's nice to have something to do, even if it's just repairs."

Finn and Phoebe both removed their armor and left them to Angie's care. Just as the two began walking, Finn was stopped again when Seph twisted his arm around his back.

"Don't ever fight against another Sentinel. Understood, Rookie?"

"Yes." he said as Seph tightened his grip.

"Yes…?"

"Yes, sir."

Seph let go of him and him and Phoebe were able to travel back to the headquarters as the rest went along their business and Mike still eyed Finn from the distance.

* * *

Finn and Phoebe were both sitting on the bed of Finn's room as he tended her wounds. Aside from a few bruises she didn't have any deep cuts anywhere. She winced when Finn rubbed some alcohol over one of the very few cuts on her cheek.

"Sorry." he said.

"It's alright."

Finn nodded and continued to tend to her. She found the sensation of liquid on her skin to be very weird. She had spent her entire life getting hurt by water that she had grown to fear it, but now it just seemed natural whenever she felt it. As Finn kept cleaning her wounds, she noticed the angered expression on his face. She didn't need to ask why he was angry but he went ahead and said it anyway.

"I freaking hate Mike."

"Don't. He was just trying to see how well I could fight."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that he could've killed you. I swear, the next time we fight, he won't best me so easily."

"He could've killed _you_! Please don't pick fights with him. I don't want to be the reason for you to continue getting beat up for being stupid."

"I still hate him. And I've gotten worse beatings before."

There was a momentary silence between them before Phoebe continued.

"I appreciate your concern, Finn. But this is my trial and I don't want to get you involved in it. I'll keep fighting until I'm good enough."

"But like I said, I can help train you. It might take a while but I can show you how to be a good fighter without having to beat you up too rough."

She decided not argue any further. She couldn't deny that she needed help now more than ever, though she hated to admit it. Once Finn was done, the two of them just sat at the edge of the bed awkwardly looking away from each other.

"How are you holding up?" she asked looking back at him.

"A few bruises, but you're in worse shape right now."

"I meant about Jake. I know they took him as well."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck and sighed."

"I'm… I'm going to find him. And then I'm gonna make Cypher pay."

He felt her hand rest on his shoulder and turned to find a look of worry on her face.

"Just promise me you won't get yourself killed in the process. I'll be with you the whole way; and so will the others. Just… try to get along with Mike."

Finn smiled at her, though he still couldn't deny that he felt uncomfortable with her being part of the Sentinels, much less having to put her up against the Syndicate. He looked back at her and noticed that now she looked rather sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked, though he already knew what the answer would probably be.

"I just…" she looked at her hand, "why would they take away my powers? I've gone my entire life burning things, flying, living in places where normal people would have their skin burned off, but now… now I'm just… Maybe Victor was right, I may have been a good fighter with my powers but now I'm close to useless."

"Useless? You're a great fighter! Better than most I've seen. You proved it out there on the training field. Sure, Mike started winning, but you held your own against him for as long as you could. If anything, that's pretty rad."

"I guess you're right. Still, it feels… very strange to what I'm used to."

Phoebe had the look of sadness on her face, something that Finn always grew to hate since he couldn't do anything to cheer her up.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We should probably call it a day and we'll begin training tomorrow." Finn said.

"Okay."

"You should probably take a shower."

Phoebe looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you saying I stink?"

"What? No! I was just-"

Phoebe then began laughing, but it didn't help to reduce the red that covered Finn's cheeks.

"I'm just kidding. Where do I sleep?"

"Um… I think the room right across the hall was appointed to you."

Phoebe nodded and smiled and began getting up from the bed. She only managed to get up a few inches before suddenly stopping and sitting back down. Finn was about to ask why before she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into another hug. It wasn't as bad as the one before, but it still made him grunt from how strongly she held onto him. He eventually decided to return the hug and Phoebe whispered in his ear.

"I'm just glad you're still alive."

She let go of him and made her way out of the room. Finn wanted to follow her but he found it pointless since she wasn't going very far.

Now he was left back on his own inside his room, with nothing to do but either lie on the bed or take a shower. He decided to lie down on the bed for a while until some of the pain died down a bit, otherwise he would strain himself if he remained standing for too long. The pain on his scars was all but gone so he didn't have to worry too much about them. Once the pain had died down a little, he decided to just get up and walk towards the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

Phoebe was rather creeped out by the strange computer voice saying her name when she entered. She found her room to be rather small but it would do. She didn't mind the small space though over the years she had gotten used to her large room in the fire palace. In a way, it reminded her of the small shack Finn had built for her, minus the sticks and fire. She closed the door behind her and went to the bathroom.

The bathroom wasn't much bigger but she could still manage. She looked at herself in the mirror to look for any cuts or bruises she had. Aside from a scratch on the right side of her bottom lip and a barely noticeable bruise on her right cheekbone, she still looked the same as always… Except for the not being made of fire part. Aside from that, she found it weird how Finn would lose it from just a few small cuts but she decided not to dwell on it.

She looked down towards the sink and eyed the faucet. She wasn't made of fire, so it made her wonder if it would hurt. She took the risk and turned the faucet on, letting a stream of water to fall down to the sink and go down the drain. She began to slowly move her hand forward until it was merely inches from the stream. She took a deep breath and pushed her hand forward, letting the water fall on top of her skin.

She yelped from the sudden contact as she expected it to hurt, but instead it felt… good. She twirled her hand around the stream as the water completely surrounded her fingers and palm, enjoying the sensation that she felt from the liquid.

' _I can't believe this stuff used to hurt me, and I was afraid of it.'_

Phoebe turned the faucet off and dried her hand on one of the towels hanging from some racks. She looked herself in the mirror and instantly and ran her hand through the many strands of her hair, which felt weird compared to its previous fiery state. As she continued to fondle with her hair, she felt like she was forgetting something. She took a closer look and realized what was wrong when she noticed her hair was loose.

' _I left Angie's hair tie in Finn's room.'_

She decided to go back real quick to get the hair tie, hopefully without Finn minding. She went outside her room and went across the hall to Finn's room. She was about to knock but noticed that his door was slightly open. She had forgotten to close it fully on her way out. She opened the door slowly and noticed that Finn wasn't on the bed. She figured he was in the bathroom.

Phoebe saw her hair tie lying on foot of the bed and went over to grab it. Before she was able to leave, however, Finn stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a pair of shorts and drying his neck with a towel.

No words came out of her mouth, even though she wanted to explain why she was there. Instead, her cheeks became as red as they've ever been as she just stared at him. She couldn't deny that he had definitely grown in the past few years. She couldn't help but stare at how muscly the he was and how tall he was. He was only about an inch taller than her, but she found it weird considering they were once both the same height. His scar was still visible on his chest, which made her notice he acquired abs as well.

"Uh, are you okay?" Finn asked.

She got knocked out of her trance and began stuttering.

"I-I was-I just wanted to-you… See you tomorrow!"

She quickly walked out of the room and closed the door behind her then went into hers. She laid her back against the door and covered her entire face with her hands and grunted loudly into them.

"What was that, Phoebe?! Ugh, get a hold of yourself."

Once she finished scolding herself, she went back into the bathroom to take a shower. As she removed her clothing, she noticed the glimmer of the necklace Finn had given and quickly reached down to grab it. She was surprise how the gem could still hold its beauty even after so much had happened, but she appreciated it. She gently took it off and placed it on top of the closed toilet seat as she went in to take the shower.

Just like before, she found the sensation of water flowing down her skin to be very weird, but at the same time very refreshing. Once she stepped out, she put on a new pair of clothing and put the necklace around her neck once more. She laid on her bed and continued to marvel at the gem, something she was never able to properly do after Finn had given it to her.

Once she was finished she tucked it away and stared at the ceiling from her bed. She raised one of her hands upward and stared at it, turning around and twisting it as she got used to the sight of no fire. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them and focusing as much as she could. Her hand began to shake from the amount of force she was placing upon it, which became more and more of a chore until she let out a deep breath and laid it down on the bed. Not a single spark of flames were ignited.

After several minutes of mixed emotions running through her head, she was able to fall asleep.

* * *

 **Ooobserver: I'm glad you like it, and thanks for pointing that out. I do so many rewrites that stuff like that slips past sometimes.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Let's just hope Finn isn't the jealous type if that ends up being the case.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Mentor

**Chapter 11: The Mentor**

Finn woke up in the morning feeling a lot better from the beating he had received the day before. He looked over to the clock on the small table and saw it read 7:28 am. He slowly began to get up from bed and stretched his limbs, causing a few bones to crack. He went over to grab his clothing and put them on. While he did it, he started to question Phoebe's strange behavior when she came into his room the night before, but he figured he'd ask her later. Once he was done dressing, he went out the door and went over to knock on her door.

There was silence for several minutes before the door opened, revealing a Phoebe with messed up hair and eyes that were practically still closed. Her bruises were less noticeable than before, but still there nonetheless. She smacked her lips together a few times and rubbed one of her eyes.

"Yeah?" her voice was very weak. Finn could tell she was definitely still tired.

"Uh, are you ready to begin training?"

Her eyes suddenly sprung open and she looked downwards at herself before she let out a shocked gasp and shut the door again. The action was so sudden that Finn barely had time to comprehend it before he knocked on the door again.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a mess right now."

"Well, let me know when you're ready."

Finn remained standing right outside her room for seven minutes, which felt like an eternity to him with absolutely nothing to do. He just leaned against the wall and stared into the ceiling until he heard one of the other doors open. Finn looked to see that it was Erik, looking like he had just woken up as well and had put on his armor. He walked towards Finn and leaned on the wall next to him as he rubbed his left eye.

"What are you doing?" Erik asked.

"Waiting for Phoebe to be ready." he replied while still looking at the ceiling.

"Ha, get used to it."

Finn looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

"It tends to get like that when you're with someone. Always having to wait until they're ready."

Finn's cheeks slightly blushed.

"What? She and I aren't together."

"Oh, come on. Going on a dangerous mission and risking your own life just to save her; eyeing her as she fought valiantly on the training grounds; picking a fight with Mike to defend her; offering to train her so that you get to spend time with her. Need I say more? It's clear the two of you aren't related so there's something else going on there. And I think you're just too afraid to admit it."

Finn help up a finger and pointed it straight at Erik's face.

"Listen, she and I aren't dating. I just want to help out a good friend. Is that so wrong?"

Erik held up both his hands in the air and his smirk grew even more.

"I'm just saying, man. I don't judge; but if you really have feelings for her, I suggest you come clean before you regret it later. Plus she also has those red eyes going for her."

"Says the guy who can't open up to Sasha."

Erik's smirk suddenly disappeared and he lowered his hands.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, isn't _that_ obvious?"

"You know what? No. I'm not doing this. You're hopeless." he began to walk away and looked back just as he was turning the corner. "See you at breakfast."

Once he was gone, Finn remained leaning against the wall as he waited for Phoebe to come out. It took only a few more minutes before she did, wearing a red long-sleeved sweater with a pair of black jeans and red shoes. Finn also noticed that her hair was shorter. Rather than reaching her lower back, it now reached just below her neck.

"You look… good." he said trying as hard as he could to hide his blush. He didn't want to sound weird by saying she was beautiful, which she was.

"Thanks." she said as she smiled at him.

"Did you cut your hair?"

She ran her hand across it.

"Yeah. I figured it would be less inconvenient for when I use the armor. Though I might have gone a bit overboard on the clothes."

"I think it's actually great. There's enough room in the armor for it."

Phoebe smiled and the two of them made their way to the mess hall, where all of the other Sentinels were eating. Finn and Phoebe sat with Erik and Sasha, Finn paid no mind to anything they spoke about as he kept his gaze focused on Mike, who was also looking at him from the other table. Phoebe nudged him in the shoulder and he refocused on Erik.

"… Remain straight and then plant your feet down just a few seconds before you hit surface. That's how you get the most momentum." he said, though Finn failed to listen to the entire conversation.

"That sounds pretty advanced." Sasha replied.

"Duh. Not everyone is cut out for it. Honestly, I find it hard to believe this grappling hook even works. By all accounts, it mostly defies physics."

The three of them continued their conversations as they ate. It was mostly stuff about Olympia which was pretty basic to Erik and Sasha but intriguing to Finn and Phoebe. The two of them found the topic very interesting, especially Finn since it was the home of his race. They talked about the numerous stuff that could be found around the city: cars, computers, different books, and movies. Most of them didn't surprise Finn but it was still nice to hear about them. Honestly, some of the topics made Finn realize that the Sentinels were just like any other person, each with their own hobbies, favorite topics, and conversations.

"Was that the part where the captain crashes the sub into the ice and nearly died?" Sasha asked.

"No, that was in Heat Signature 3: Cold Signature." Erik replied.

Before their conversation could continue, the door opened and Victor walked in. Everyone else got up and saluted him, which Finn and Phoebe both imitated.

"At ease." everyone lowered their arms, "It's time to start a new day. Everyone get your gear ready. Finn and Phoebe, Angie will have your equipment ready. Go get them and then report to the training grounds."

The two of them nodded and everyone began going out the door. Just as they were going through the doorway, Mike shoved Finn then continued walking as he shot him a quick glance. Finn began walking after him before Phoebe held him by the shoulder and shook her head in a disapproval. Finn looked at Mike one more time before he turned the corner and was out of sight.

Finn and Phoebe wasted no time getting to the training grounds after getting their equipment back. Angie really does a great job of fixing stuff in such a short amount of time, but she made Finn wonder if she ever even slept. Everyone else was doing their own training on different parts of the field, but Finn and Phoebe just stuck to sparring in one of the corners.

Just like before, Phoebe showed exceptional skill with the sword, though Finn did notice a few things off with her footwork. She also kept twisting her sword in the wrong directions when she needed to block a low blow, which is what messed her up during her fight with Mike. But even behind all the mistakes, he still couldn't help but admire her; something that caused him to even get distracted on multiple occasions and allowing her to nearly hit him. After several minutes, the two stopped and Finn studied her.

"You fight well. But there are a few things we can improve on."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, you move your body forward a bit too much when you attack. You gotta keep some distance away otherwise you won't have much time to dodge the next blow if you end up missing and you're giving them an opening to use their feet. Also, you might wanna try to-"

Finn noticed she wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. She was instead looking at her sword as she twisted it sound with her hands. Even though her face was hidden by the helmet, Finn could tell something was wrong with her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Finn, I really appreciate you helping me but we're not gonna get much progress done in just a few days. Maybe Victor and Seph were right; I'm not as cut out to swordplay as I thought. I think I should just stick to normal training and see where my training goes from there. It also doesn't help that it becomes harder to breathe with this freaking helmet on."

"Don't say that. You _can_ improve. You just need-"

He suddenly stopped talking and stared at the ground. Phoebe was confused and waved one of her hands in front of him to get his attention, but all she got from him was the removal of his helmet to show a wide smile on his face. She removed her helmet to show her confused expression.

"What?"

* * *

"No."

Finn and Phoebe were both sitting in front of the desk in Victor's office. The room was significantly larger than most rooms, but it still had its limits due to the amount of objects placed around it. It wasn't as messy as Angie's lab, but it was filled with different cupboards that held documents. The desk itself was also a mess, filled to the brim with all kinds of papers. There was a window in the back where the sunlight came in and overlooked the training grounds. Finn was surprised Victor had any spare time from the amount of work he seemed to do.

The room also had a few decorations like paintings and small souvenirs. But the one that caught Finn's attention the most was the fish tank sitting on a separate table which had a small clown fish with a fin that was smaller than the other, a sea star stuck to the glass, a Moorish idol with one of its sides torn up, a pufferfish, a banded cleaner shrimp, a royal gamma, a black and white humbug, and a yellow tang. The tank had a tall volcano in the center that shot up bubbles.

"Sir, please-" Finn tried to argue.

"No means no, Finn." Victor replied.

"But this will help her in combat. Trust me, if you want capable warriors to fight against the Syndicate, this is it."

"She is more than capable of training here. I will not have the safety of the Sentinels, even all of Olympia threatened because of 'shortcuts'."

"There's no one else in all of Ooo who's better at keeping secrets. And we won't even reveal any information having to do with the city or the Sentinels."

Victor looked like he wanted to argue further but instead grunted and leaned on his arms against the desk. He remained looking at it for several seconds before he looked up at them.

"Not even one day of training and you're already making out of place suggestions." he said.

"You brought me here because I know to do what's best. If you want better fighters, this is it." Finn replied.

"Very well. You have clearance to do as you please. But don't draw too much attention outside of Olympia. Everyone still thinks the two of you are missing and we'd like to keep it that way for the time being."

The two of them agreed and were able to obtain permission from Victor to use one of the VTOLs. Neither of them knew how to pilot it, of course, but someone else would fly them to their destination. Once they were both inside along with the pilot, the aircraft flew out of Olympia as the massive jets of flames roared all around them, making Phoebe stare in shock just as Finn had the first time he saw them.

The rest of the flight was spent in silence between the two, even though they both wanted to talk to each other, especially Finn. Phoebe was able to distract herself more easily by staring out the window to the lands below, something she was used to when used to fly on her own but still found fascinating. She turned around and noticed that Finn had quickly turned his head away from her, as if avoiding her gaze.

"Finn, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied without looking at her. She wasn't entirely convinced, however.

"You seem nervous."

"Just… a bit airsick. I'll be fine once we land."

She nodded and continued to look out the window, but Finn felt bad for lying to her. He knew it was best to put their past behind them but it would only make it that much harder if he continued hiding secrets from her. Especially the fact that he still has feelings for her, even though part of him kept telling himself she already knew that. But he knew the right choice was to-

"You know you shouldn't lie to me." she said, which caused him to nearly choke from trying to hold in the gasp that nearly escaped his mouth.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked.

"I highly doubt you're the kind of guy to get airsick."

"You don't know that. There's a lot of stuff you don't know about me."

"That's the problem." Finn wanted to continue arguing but she raised her hand to silence him. "It's ok, Finn. I'll respect your privacy. We've got bigger issues to deal with than secrets and lies. And to be honest, I've kept stuff from you too. So we're even."

Finn was relieved. After another few minutes of nothing but silence, save for the VTOL's engines, they began to descend from the sky until they were only a few feet from the ground. Finn was able to land on the ground without a problem, but Phoebe nearly toppled over from the impact on the ground. The pilot told them to contact him whenever they were ready to be picked up and flew away, leaving Finn and Phoebe alone at the edge of the Grasslands.

The two of them ran at speeds that would've seemed impossible to anyone who caught a glimpse of them, but luckily there was no one around to notice them. Both of them nearly tipped over when they lost their balance on account of still not being used to the high speeds but they regained their balance quickly. To his surprise, and somewhat annoyance, Phoebe was doing better than him. He got distracted from looking back at her and nearly tipped over again.

"You're gonna get your face planted against the ground if you're not careful." she said as they ran.

"Worry about yourself. At least I'm faster."

"Oh, really? Wanna race, then?"

Finn looked back as he ran. He couldn't see her face on account of the helmet, but he could tell she was smirking at him right now.

"Oh, you're on. But just so we're clear-"

"Readysetgo!"

The second later Phoebe was already ahead of him as she picked up speed. Finn grunted in annoyance and started running faster as well. It didn't take too long for him to catch up to her but wasn't getting any farther ahead. Phoebe then suddenly turned left and nearly caused Finn to fall when she passed in front of him. Finn quickly slid towards the left and planted his fingers against the ground to control his slide and pursued after her. She laughed as she had managed to gain some ground ahead of him.

They were both neck at neck as they ran across the barren wastelands that surrounded them. The farther they went, the more junk could be seen lying around in piles and the bones of dead animals which served as nests for the crows. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to keep up the pace when they had to repeatedly dodge them. Once they reached open ground, Finn ran right next to Phoebe and looked towards her.

"You might wanna stay focused." she said and pointed forward.

Finn looked forward and yelped when he saw another pile ahead of him. Rather than trying to go around he jumped up and landed on top of it then jumped off and continued running. Not shortly after was another smaller pile with a tube sticking out it. Not having enough time to go around it, Finn fell onto his knees and slid underneath it as he just scrapped his chin on the tube's end. He quickly got up and regained his posture and focused on catching up on Phoebe, who had gained some ground ahead pf him and was nearing the end.

He gave it all he had as he attempted to catch up to her. Once he was several feet behind her he tried to think of a way to distract her. He looked around the ground as they ran and found a small pipe lying on the ground. He extended his arm and grabbed it as he ran, raising it up and throwing it over Phoebe so it landed several feet in front of her. She let out a yelp as she was forced to jump over it so as to not trip and fall, giving Finn the opportunity to overtake her.

"Hey, no fair!" she yelled as he ran off laughing.

The end was coming into view. A long wall made with metal panels and entrance with a sign saying "Ooo Junkyard". Finn laughed and looked back at Phoebe with his fist raised in the air.

"Haha! I am the ultimate-"

His cheering was cut short when he tripped over a small log and was sent hurling through the air. He landed against the ground and began spinning around, grunting as he kept banging himself against the armor, though he was at least thankful he wasn't feeling the full assault of the hit. After several more spins, he stopped merely just a few inches from the gate as he face planted onto the ground with his legs raised before they fell back onto the ground, leaving him groaning as he tried to reach the finish line with his hand but was still too far.

Phoebe ran right past him shortly after, laughing and cheering as she threw her arms in the air. Despite his defeat, Finn was still smiling behind the pain as he saw her being her happy self, a side of her he hadn't seen for a long time.

Once she finished cheering she walked back to him with her helmet off and offered him a hand up, which he accepted. Finn also took off his helmet and smiled back at her, enjoying the sight of her smile after all she had been through for the past few days.

"Cheaters never prosper." she said.

"Heh, yeah-OW!" he yelled as she pulled on his ear.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again."

"Okay, okay, I won't!" she let go of his ear and he rubbed it until the pain went away. Finn knew she was strong, but the power armor only made her even more so. "It's not like you didn't cheat. You didn't let me prepare before you ran off."

"I said 'Go', didn't I?"

The argument went on for a while longer until Finn went inside the junkyard, leaving Phoebe frustrated behind as she was still in the middle of her argument. She followed behind as he walked along the set path in between the large piles of junk, looking around in every direction. They reached a more open area around the center, where Finn put both his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Rattleballs!"

The call echoed across the entire junkyard but no answer came from anywhere. Finn was about to shout again after several seconds of waiting before they heard the sound of a blade drawing behind them. They both instantly turned around to face the hooded figure that was now facing them from several feet while pointing a rapier at them.

"It's about time you showed yourself again." the figure said. He removed his hood to show the face of Finn's former mentor, Rattleballs.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked the three of them lowered their blades.

"Corpses don't just disappear. Especially those whose blood was left behind. A lot of it, I might add. So I ask you this: How is it that you still live?"

"It's a long story. And one that I would prefer to leave untold for the time being." Finn replied.

"Based on your equipment, I would imagine it's an interesting one. But I will respect your decision."

Finn nodded and Rattleballs sat down on the ground with his legs crossed. Finn did the same and Phoebe followed suit. The robot examined the two of them for some time, but it was clear what he had in mind.

"Is this the flame princess?" he asked.

"Yes, I am." she replied. "Finn said you might be able to help me train. I haven't been able to fight as well as is used to without my powers."

"And what became of these?"

"They were… taken from me. I don't really know how to explain it."

Rattleballs continued to study her then looked sat Finn.

"Finn, just what exactly have you gotten yourself into?"

"I said I-"

"Because it seems to me that you are dealing with forces that can change the very fabric of nature. They turned a person who was once a fire elemental into a human. A person like that is not to be taken lightly."

"She's not technically a human."

"Can she still use fire?"

Finn looked at Phoebe and the girl raised her hand to attempt to summon a fireball but nothing happened.

"No." she said disappointed.

"Well, whatever you are now, you can bet whatever they were planning on using you for cannot be good. If so, who knows what they also plan to do with anyone else they get their hands on."

"They took Jake as well." Finn said.

It seemed like Rattleballs what somewhat surprised at the statement but was barely noticeable. Since he didn't say anything, Finn continued.

"Phoebe may not have use of her powers anymore but she can still be a capable fighter. And with your training, I know we can win the battles ahead. I have complete faith in that."

Rattleballs stared at them both with much attention that clearly showed he was studying both of them.

"Very well. I will train her. Both of you. And when you're done, you'll be able to rescue those you hold dear and bring justice to those who have wronged you. Let's begin."

* * *

Finn and Phoebe spent the better part of three days training with Rattleballs in the junkyard. They would fly from Olympia in the earliest they could in the morning to the most late they were allowed to in the night. Every single day was spent doing training as Rattleballs instructed and they followed his lead to the latter.

On the first day they practiced simple swordsmanship in which Rattleballs was able to determine what exactly they needed help with. Then they went on to practice advanced sword techniques that took them both some time to master, but master them they did. Once the night arrived, they went back to Olympia and went straight to bed, resting from how exhausted they were.

On the second day they made several different tests. The first was standing in just one leg on the ground while balancing a few objects on their heads. They did the exact thing again but it was instead on top of the large piles of junk. They failed multiple times as the objects on their heads fell, or worse, they themselves fell. They also practiced meditating, something that Rattleballs and also Phoebe were good at but Finn still found to be tedious.

On the third day they practiced sparring once more. They interchanged between wearing and not wearing their power armor during the sessions. Of course, the ones without the armor were a bit slower than with but they were still able to fight correctly. The ones with armor were a lot more quick and agile, which was to be expected but they continued training both ways nonetheless.

Now came the fourth day. Finn and Phoebe were both standing still as Rattleballs stood looking in the opposite direction, saying nothing. The two of them grew uneasy as they waited for any hint of movement but there was none. Finn decided to step up and speak first.

"Uh, Rattleballs? Are you gonna train us?"

"I've already trained you in everything I can, and in record time, I might add. There is, however, one thing left to teach, if you would have the skill and patience to master."

"What?" Finn asked, though he already had some idea.

"The Shadowless Thrust."

"Are you sure we're ready?" Finn asked.

"I believe you are. The question is, do _you_ believe you are?"

Finn looked back at Phoebe with a questioning glare, and she nodded in return. Finn turned back to face Rattleballs.

"We are." he said.

"Very well. Swords out."

The next few hours were spent with both of them repeatedly attempting the Shadowless Thrust without wearing their armor. Rattleballs had placed two separate dummies for each one as they stood a few feet away and they were to continue attempting it until they could slash right through them. They kept repeating the same stance over and over, sometimes seeming like they got a good boost but still not fast enough to perform the move.

They continued to fail again and again, each time seeming to make little to no progress at all. Finn began to get increasingly frustrated as his attempts kept failing every single time. Phoebe seemed to be keeping her cool more than him but she was also starting to look a bit annoyed.

"You must remain calm. Don't be frustrated that you can't do it. Believe that you can." Rattleballs said.

They continued to try again and again without success. However, as Finn was about to make another attempt, he heard the sound of metal falling against the ground. He turned and saw that Phoebe was now behind the dummy and its head was on the ground, completely detached from the main body with a clean slice. She had achieved the Shadowless Thrust.

"I… I did it!" she said.

"Well done." Rattleballs said.

Their eyes were now turned to Finn, who was still having trouble on his end. As more and more he tried, the more frustrated he got to the point where he nearly threw his sword against the ground before his wrist was grabbed by Rattleballs.

"Concentrate, Finn. If you give up because you think you can't achieve it, you never will. Breathe and focus."

Finn took one glance at Phoebe, who gave him a smile a nod. He was able to calm himself by taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He pointed the tip of his sword towards the dummy while placing his left leg forward and his right leg far back. He knelt a few inches and reopened his eyes. He pressed his feet firm against the ground and pushed himself forward again.

He was able to get farther than previous attempts, but the dummy was still not within reach.

"Again." Rattleballs said.

Finn tried doing it again but got the exact same results. He kept repeating the process over, and over, and over without any sort of improvement, and each time just made him even more frustrated. Once he had enough, he raised his sword in the air and was about to throw it towards the dummy.

"Enough!" Rattleballs shouted, causing Finn to lose his balance and fall on the ground.

"Why did you shout?!" Finn asked.

Rattleballs knelt down and pinched Finn in the neck. The human flinched and rubbed the area as he began talking, but Rattleballs simply pinched him again. Finn continued to get to get pinched over and over every time he tried to speak, making more and more furious every time.

"WILL YOU STOP-OW!" Finn said before getting pinched again.

"Until you speak calmly, I'll just keep doing it. Your temper is gonna be the end of you, Finn, unless you learn to control it."

"My temper is fine." Finn replied.

"Clearly not." Rattleballs replied. "Perhaps your friend can teach you a thing or two."

Finn turned to Phoebe as she opened her mouth to speak before Rattleballs held up his hand to silence her.

"I meant your other friend." Rattleballs said.

Finn and Phoebe both looked confused at one another before a strange shadow appeared over them. They looked behind them to find Seph was standing on top of one of the junk piles wearing all of his power armor. He jumped down from the pile and landed on his feet against the ground without losing his balance.

"I must say, Finn, your friend here is very astute person." Seph said.

"And might I ask who you are?" Rattleballs asked.

"I'd rather keep my name hidden, thank you very much." Seph replied/

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked as he got up from the ground.

"Making sure training is going well and that you're not running off on your own." Seph replied. "From what I've seen it seems to be going accordingly… except for you failing miserably just now."

Finn growled and began walking towards Seph but was held back by Phoebe.

"Finn, wait." she said.

"I can do it." Finn told Seph.

"Maybe… but now is clearly not the time." Seph replied.

"You know how to fight yourself?" Rattleballs asked.

"Better than anyone." Seph said as he looked towards the robot.

Rattleballs grew a light smile and pulled out his rapier.

"Well then, how about a fight between the two of us. It would be interesting if you are worthy of sparring with one such as me." Rattleballs said with a tone that made Seph tilt his head and narrow his eyes.

Finn and Phoebe's eyes widened at the challenge. They turned to Seph as they waited his response.

"Fine by me. But how about I go easy on ya?"

Finn and Phoebe were even more surprised when Seph then removed his power armor, showing he was wearing a black skin tight one-piece suit. The one thing that stood out the most to Finn's and Phoebe's amazement is that he was missing his right arm and left leg, which were both replaced by robotic parts.

Rattleballs didn't make any comments about Seph's clearly human appearance and took a battle stance. Seph did the same as well and the two of them looked at each, waiting for the other to pounce.

"Do you really have to do this?" Phoebe asked.

"Don't get involved." Seph replied.

They stood motionless for a few seconds before Rattleballs instantly used the Shadowless Thrust to charge forward. To Finn and Phoebe's amazement, Seph was able to dodge the attack right on time to kick Rattleballs away when he reappeared.

"That move won't work so well on me." Seph said.

Seph swung his blade forward to hit Rattleballs but the robot blocked it before it made contact. Unfortunately, Seph's blade broke right through his rapier and it snapped in half, leaving Rattleballs without a weapon.

"Rookie," Seph said. "give him your sword."

Finn complied and threw his high frequency blade at Rattleballs, who grabbed it and lost no time regaining a battle stance. He attempted the Shadowless Thrust again but Seph was able to block it with his own sword, sending large amounts of sparks flying all around them from the impact. Once Rattleballs stopped, he instantly turned around and swung away at Seph, who blocked the attack and swung back.

Rattleballs was able to push Seph back until he was pinned against one of the trash piles. He was able to move out of the way in time just before Rattleballs thrusted his sword towards him, causing it to get impaled one a piece of metal. Seph Kicked Rattleballs away and sent him flying a few feet back, causing him to lose his grip on the sword and leaving it impaled. Seph swung at Rattleballs and barely scraped past his head when he ducked underneath the blade and ran back to retrieve his own. Once he did, he took as a stance as Seph did the same.

Rattleballs jumped over to one of the junk piles and kicked one of the metal pipes towards Seph. The human was able to slice right through it but Rattleballs was given an opening before he could raise his sword to defend. He was forced to jump back and another pipe came his way as soon as he stopped. He lifted his metal hand and grabbed the pipe with it while planting his metal leg on the ground to stop his movement. Rattleballs dodged the pipe as Seph threw it back and their swords clashed once again.

The two of them continued their fight for several minutes, both of them moving so fast that Finn and Phoebe could hardly keep track of what was happening. The fast movement suddenly came to a halt when the two of them stood at the very center of the area, where Seph was holding his word up to Rattleballs' neck. Finn especially was shocked at the sight.

"I win." Seph said.

"Look again." Rattleballs replied as smile appeared on his face.

Seph looked down and saw that Rattleballs had his sword pressed against Seph's abdomen. Seph looked back up to find Rattleballs giving him a light smile.

"Alright… I guess you are worthy opponent." Seph said.

The two of them drew back their swords and remained looking at each other. Finn and Phoebe were still too stunned to say anything as they walked towards them.

"You have… an interesting friend here, Finn. I'm sure he'll make a fine ally in the days to come."

Finn nodded and accepted his sword again.

"Alright, we're going back to Olympia early today. Let's go." Seph said as he put his armor back on. Finn and Phoebe did the same and they spoke with Rattleballs on last time.

"Sorry that he broke your sword." Phoebe said.

"It's alright. I can keep myself busy repairing it. I might even make a new one, who knows? But despite what just happened, remember to keep practicing your Shadowless Thrust. It never hurts to be prepared."

Finn and Phoebe both bowed and thanked Rattleballs before they left with Seph back to the VTOL's pickup point.

* * *

 **Fiery Crusader: There's your training, though Finn is unfortunately still on the downside.**

 **Ooobserver: We'll have to wait and see how that develops. Thanks for the review.**


	12. Chapter 12: Make Amends

**Chapter 12: Make Amends**

The ride back to Olympia after Seph's duel with Rattleballs was mostly made in complete silence. Finn and Phoebe spent the majority of it staring at Seph as he polished his blade, something he tended to do a lot now that Finn noticed. Seph would sometimes look up at them to find their eyes fixed on him but he gave no comment. It was only after several minutes of constant staring that he sighed and looked at them directly.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just… I've never seen anyone best Rattleballs so easily. But I suppose your mechanical parts had something to with it." Finn replied.

"They make me faster, but fighting skills still have to be learned."

"But when we trained for the first time I was able to hit you. From what I saw, that shouldn't have been possible."

"That's because I went easy on you. Mostly. Now be quiet, Rookie, we're almost there."

Finn stopped his questioning and returned to looking out the window. They were very high in the sky so the only thing visible out the windows were the multitude of clouds. Every so often they would pass by a rain filled cloud and the VTOL would get wet but it only lasted seconds before re-entering clear skies.

"How did you lose your arm and leg?" Phoebe asked.

"That's none of your business." Seph replied.

"You could stand to be a bit nicer." Phoebe said, earning her a stern look from Seph.

"I tried being nice to a lot of people when I was younger. But it only serves to get you attached to people who will most likely lose their life sooner or later. And in this line of work, that's not something you want. I suggest you keep that in mind."

Finn could tell Phoebe was annoyed by Seph's attitude but neither of them decided to answer back to him for the rest of the ride. Once they were once again inside the hangar, Seph wasted no time in getting out and walking away to resume his own business while Finn and Phoebe made their way to the training grounds. Most of the Sentinels were already there, including Mike mowing down rows of dummies.

Finn noticed Victor walking across the field as he watched everyone else's progress and Angie walking next to him, saying something that Finn couldn't make out. He and Phoebe walked to them and Victor gave them both a light smile.

"Ah, you're back. How did it go?" he asked.

"It went well." Phoebe responded. "I think I've made decent progress."

"That's good to hear." he turned his attention back to Angie, who was writing something down on a clipboard. "We'll continue later."

The woman just mumbled and walked away without taking her eyes off the board. The three of them walked around the field as Phoebe told Victor all that had happened while they trained. Finn was the one to tell him of the duel Seph had against Rattleballs, which sent a frown to Victor's face as he went on explaining.

"It ended at a draw, but I never knew anyone could move as fast as Rattleballs. How exactly did Seph learn to fight like that?" Finn asked and Victor sighed.

"The less you know about Seph, the better. Trust me, Finn. Speaking of which, I'm gonna go find him. We'll continue our conversation later."

Finn wanted to ask what he meant but instead just nodded in understanding. When Victor left, the two of them went back to doing a few sparring sessions. Finn could already notice a lot of improvements in Phoebe's fighting, which actually ended in her beating him a few times. Once a half-hour had passed, they stopped to take a break.

"Man, you've really improved." Finn said.

"Thanks. Though you're not so bad yourself. Though you could work a bit more on your blocking."

"Oh, you're judging _me_ now?"

Finn was expecting some sort of remark from her but she was just staring behind him. He turned around to find she was staring at Mike, who had finished his training and was now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed looking around the field. Finn turned his attention back to Phoebe only to have her spin him around again.

"Go apologize to him." she said.

"What? No!"

"Better now than when he's swinging around a sword. I told you to try and get along with him and that's exactly what you're gonna do. Like it or not."

Finn tried to break free of her grip but she just kept pushing him closer and closer to Mike, who was thankfully still unaware of what was happening. Finn eventually gave in and began to walk forward on his own while Phoebe watched from a distance. Once he was in front of Mike, the tall man looked down at him with a frown.

"Hey." Finn said.

"What do you want, newbie?"

"I wanted to…" he looked back at Phoebe then back at Mike. "I wanted to apologize for attacking you the other day. I know you were just doing your job and I may have overreacted."

"May have?"

"Ok, I did overreact. But we can put it behind us. We don't have to be friends, but we won't get anywhere if we spend our entire time fighting each other."

Mike's face softened a bit and let out a sigh.

"Well… alright. I guess I… may have been a bit too rough." he placed his open palm in front of him, which Finn quickly slapped so that no one else would notice. Though from the look on Phoebe's face, she did. "This doesn't mean we're friends, though. I just won't break your arm if we ever end up sparring. Just never do something that stupid again."

"Understood."

"You know, you can be a real pain."

"I know. But I don't try to be."

Mike chuckled.

"I'd hate to see you when you actually try. Though I would probably still beat you."

"You haven't beaten me yet." Finn said with a smirk on his face.

"One day. You'll see." Finn began to walk back to Phoebe again when Mike spoke again. "By the way, is that hot chick single?"

Finn stopped dead in his tracks and clenched both his fists. He turned his head halfway so he could see Mike.

"You mean Phoebe?" he asked.

"Right, that's the name. Yea, her. Is she single?"

"Why do you ask?" Finn said as he turned around to fully face him.

"Well, it's not often you get to meet a girl like her. Heh, I bet she's been with plenty of guys."

Mike was pushed back right against the wall when Finn grabbed him by the neck.

"YOU DON'T GET TO TALK THAT WAY ABOUT HER!" Finn shouted.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Mike shouted back.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER OR I'LL BREAK YOUR NOSE!"

"LEARN TO TAKE A JOKE, NEWBIE! OR ARE YOU JUST JEALOUS?!"

"THE LAST PERSON SHE NEEDS IN HER LIFE RIGHT NOW IS A SELFISH BUTT LIKE YOU!"

"LEARN TO INSULT SOMEONE CORRECTLY, YOU _ASS_!"

"I'M GONNA-"

Finn raised his hand and was about to punch Mike before Phoebe came up from behind and gripped his wrist tightly. Before he had a chance to react, Phoebe pulled his wrist and he fell to the ground, instantly being dragged away from Mike as he attempted to break her grip.

"Let me go! I'm not finished with him yet!"

"You're gonna get yours one of these days, Finn! You hear me?! And she's not gonna be around to protect you when that day comes! Ya hear?!" Mike shouted as Finn kept getting pulled away.

Finn noticed Erik and Sasha both laughing as he was being dragged away while Alan and Elaine just looked at him with blank expressions. For some reason, the twins bothered him more than Erik and Sasha did. Once they reached the other wall, Phoebe flung Finn forward and he smashed against it with his back, landing on the ground and hurting himself in the process. He looked up and saw that the hit had left a small crack on the wall.

"What the heck, Phoebe! That hurt." Finn said.

"Didn't Rattleballs tell you to control your temper?" Phoebe said with a serious tone Finn had never heard from her.

"You heard what he said. I couldn't just let him say those things."

"My years in the Fire Kingdom have gotten me used to comments like that, Finn. I don't need you making a fool of yourself because you're trying to 'defend my honor'."

"Do I need to remind you that it was you who told me to go apologize to him?"

"And look how well it was going before you lashed out! You tend to punch your way out of almost every situation and it always end the same way."

"She's right, you know." Finn and Phoebe turned to the mysterious voice to find Alan standing behind them. "A bad temper won't get you far in the Sentinels."

"You can talk?" Finn asked.

"Of course we can." they turned around to find Elaine standing on the opposite side. "We just don't find you that interesting to talk to. Even if you're from Earth.

"But you're talking to me now." Finn said.

"Because you really need some guidance." Alan replied. "Mike is the farthest thing from human in Olympia. You don't wanna get involved with him. Otherwise, he'll end up breaking a lot more bones than just your arm."

"Take our advice. " Elaine started.

"Stay away from Mike. " Alan continued.

"And calm yourself. "

"Otherwise, he will end you."

"And we will be around when he does."

"And we'll be enjoying it."

Once they finished, they went back to their training, leaving Finn and Phoebe confused.

"What was that?" Finn asked.

"I don't know. Come on, let's just get back to sparring."

Phoebe helped Finn up and the two went back to their original position.

They spent the next few hours training with each other and sometimes with the other Sentinels, though Finn made sure to still keep his distance from Mike for the time being. Phoebe's sight trailed off a bit when he noticed a strange figure watching the two of them from behind the tall wall was placed. The figure must've noticed Phoebe looking at them because it immediately hid behind the wall again.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked as he looked in the direction she pointed.

"There was someone behind that wall."

The two of them walked towards the wall and peaked around it to find the strange figure sitting on the ground. Finn recognized it was Christine, who yelped in surprised and stood up from the ground when she saw them. She had a brown notebook wrapped around her arms and holding a pencil in one hand. Rather than the blue dress Finn had originally seen her in, she was now wearing a plain purple button shirt with skinny black jeans and low purple shoes. She was still wearing the same tiara she wore when they previously met.

"Um… I… Hello, Finn." she said, clearly nervous.

"Hi, princess. Phoebe," he motioned to Christine, "This is Christine. She's the princess of Olympia."

"Honored." Phoebe said as she smiled and slightly bowed.

"It's good to meet you. Though there's no need for formalities. In fact, you should pretend I'm not even here."

Finn took notice of the notebook she held.

"What's that?" he asked.

She looked at it and quickly hid it behind her back.

"Nothing."

"Aw, come on. You can trust us."

Christine still seemed a bit unsure of it but she decided to hand Finn the notebook. She looked away as he opened it for fear of what they would say.

Inside the notebook was a vast amount of drawings and sketches of many different things. Most of them were of flowers, specifically the sunflower either single in in a pile, while others were of birds, trees, fruits, and other random items. Each one had incredible detail and it awed Finn and Phoebe. The most recent one which looked unfinished was of two wolves wrapped around each other in a circle. One wolf had its head wrapped around the other's neck as it rested on top while the other laid on the ground.

"Whoa, these are really good." Phoebe said, which caused Christine to quickly turn around.

"Really? I always thought they was kinda dull."

"Of course it's not. You have talent." Phoebe replied.

"Well… thanks. It's one of my favorite pass times."

"What's your first?" Finn asked.

"While I may draw a lot of flowers and birds, I always like to experience them personally. It's the reason why you found me roaming around the Guardian Tree a few days ago." her expression then changed to sadness. "Sometimes I wish I could experience it more but… like I said, it's not that simple being the queen's daughter."

Finn handed the notebook back to her, but the girl's expression ceased to change. The two of them felt bad for her, especially Phoebe. She knew better than anyone what it was like being locked away from the world. Before they could speak further, Victor and Seph appeared around the corner.

"Finn, Phoebe, I've got news. Good evening, Your Majesty." Victor said.

"Good evening Mr. Strauss." Christine replied.

"What news, sir?" Finn asked.

"Seph told me that the two of you fought well during your training down on Earth. He even went as far as to say you're ready."

"Ready for what?" Finn asked. Seph was the one to reply.

"Meeting the queen and being recognized officially as Sentinels."

* * *

The steel door that connected the Guardian and Jewel districts stood before the group. From up close, it truly seemed like it was fully impenetrable without some sort of key. The only ones with those keys were the queen, Victor, and Christine, which would explain how she was able to sneak out multiple times.

Victor removed his key from his pocket to open it. The key had a circular shape and was around five inches wide. It had a small golden outline and its center was made of blue glass. In the center of the glass was a shape of what appeared to be a bird entirely in black, though from the look of the shape, it wasn't a crow. Victor placed the key inside a lock of the same size located in the center of the door and it began spinning around in place and began to go into the door itself before a small hatch closed in front of it.

The door creaked and several gears all along it began to spin together, some in a clockwise formation and others in counterclockwise. The entire thing worked like a vault door, which might have been the actual case when it came to it, but it looked more secure than any vault door Finn or Phoebe had seen, even more so than the door that once protected the Sleeping Fire Giants. After several seconds of metal grinding against metal, the door began to open from one side on its own until it was fully open. The entire group stepped inside the tunnel that connected the two districts and the door began to close again. Once it did, Victor retrieved his key, which was now placed facing backwards on another lock on the other side of the door.

The tunnel was at least one and a half meters wide and two meters high. The floor was made entirely of metal while was made of glass. Everything around them was just the sky and clouds as they flew past them, making Finn a bit disoriented. Victor and Seph began to walk down the tunnel while Finn, Phoebe, and Christine followed behind them.

"Excited?" Christine asked.

"A bit nervous." Finn replied. Phoebe agreed with him.

"Don't be. My mom is actually a nice person. She cares about all of the people in Olympia, and would do whatever it took to see that they live good lives. Though it's not always so easy."

"Tell me about it." Phoebe said.

"What do you mean?" Christine asked.

"A story for another time." Phoebe replied.

"Well, anyway, it's been hard running the city these past few years. Especially with the growing riots in the Emerald District."

"Riots?" Finn asked.

"As you may already know, the Emerald District is home to the city's poorest residents. Most of them would do anything to get through the walls and enter the other districts but they just end up being pushed back by the Vanguard. And there's always casualties on both sides."

"Why even build walls? Why not just share the whole city?" Phoebe asked.

"My mom says it 'helps keep order' but all I've seen it do is cause chaos. I don't know, maybe I'll understand what she means one day."

When the group reached the end of the tunnel there was another door exactly like the previous one. Victor repeated the exact same process as before and the door began to open, making way into the small courtyard in front of the massive palace located at the heart of Olympia.

The entire structure stood taller than any Finn had previously seen. It bested even the Candy Palace in its sheer size and design. The walls appeared to be made of soapstone and all of the bird statues on top of its massive spires could be seen even from very far below; a testament to their actual size. There was a stone walkway that led right up to its large gates, which were guarded by two Vanguard soldiers on each side and a few others standing guard on the courtyard with several dogs.

"Very welcoming." Finn said.

"Sometimes there's no such thing as too much protection." Victor replied.

The group walked along the path as several of the dogs growled at them but they were kept under control by their handlers. The two guards posted at the entrance opened the gate once they saw them, leading them into the palace's main room.

The entire room was, in a word, enormous. The room was decorated with marble columns on each side with big glass windows in between each one, and below them were even more guards. At the very end of the room was a giant statue of the same bird Finn had seen on multiple places. Its head was facing upwards and its mouth was wide open, showing that it was screeching. Both of its wings were expanded, which reached each corner of the room from how big they were. Right over its head was something inscribed on the wall. It read: "The great Ziz Bird watches over us all."

Right beneath the statue was the throne, which was the same color as the walls. There were two guards standing on each side of it holding long spears on their hands. Each one wore a set of armor similar to that of the Vanguard, only theirs was white and they each wore capes. And sitting on the throne was Nora, the queen of Olympia. Once the group walked closer, they could get a better look at her.

She was busy reading a piece of paper that she grabbed from a pile located at the foot of the throne. Her skin was pale and her hair was golden blonde tied in a long braided ponytail. Her eyes were the same color as Christine's, a dark ocean blue. She wore an elegant green dress along with her crown, which was golden with a ruby placed in the center. Needless to say, she was extremely beautiful. She looked up at the group and smiled before then turning into a frown.

"Christine. There you are." her voice was very soft but firm, very fitting of a queen.

She stood up and walked towards the group. Victor and Seph slightly bowed and placed their closed fists of their right hands against their chest. Finn and Phoebe followed the same example as Christine departed from the group and walked towards her mother.

"I was just-"

"You really need to stop leaving the castle without my permission, child. You always worry me when you do."

"I'm sorry, mother."

Nora's face softened a bit and then hugged Christine, placing a kiss on her forehead afterwards. Christine stood next to her as she turned her attention to the Sentinels.

"What brings you here today, Victor? Aside from returning my daughter." she said.

"Your Majesty, there are new recruits that wish to join the ranks of the Sentinels. We would ask your blessing and allow them to officially join our ranks."

Nora studied Finn and Phoebe closely. The two of them remained quiet as she did, making sure not to say anything that might prove offensive somehow.

"Well they definitely look promising. Are these the ones you said were from Earth?" Nora asked.

"Yes, You Majesty." Victor replied.

"Well, I would be more than welcome to have them among your ranks. Tell me do you-"

Nora inexplicably stopped talking, which made Finn and Phoebe nervous. She grabbed Finn's chin and lifted up his head to get a better look, but her expression bared hints of fear and shock.

"Wh-what is your name?" she asked.

"Finn Mertens, Your Majesty." Finn replied.

She gasped and covered her mouth with both her hands.

"It can't be…"

Finn was about to ask what she meant until she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him very tightly and began to cry. Finn was very confused until she then whispered something that made his eyes open to their fullest extent.

"My son…"

* * *

 **Note: I'm not trying to imply anything by adding the Ziz Bird into this story. I just read about it once and I thought it was cool.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Let's just hope nothing unfortunate happens to Rattleballs this time.**

 **iymartinez89: I'm glad you like it, and I'll continue updating hopefully every week.**


	13. Chapter 13: Vows

**Chapter 13: Vows**

Finn's head felt like it had exploded from the amount of thoughts and emotions racing through it. There he was, standing in the palace of Olympia, the last human city, hugging the mother he thought he'd never meet. And of all the things she could have been, she was the queen. Everyone else was watching with wide eyes and open mouths. Even Seph seemed a bit surprised. But none were more so than Finn himself and Christine, who had a terrified look on her face as she dropped her notebook and pencil on the ground from the shock.

After what seemed like forever, Nora loosened her grip a bit and raised her head to look at Finn in the eyes as she continued to hold him. She had tears running down both her cheeks, but she had a barely noticeable smile on her face, but was still a smile nonetheless. She unwrapped her arms from his and moved them to cup both his cheeks, all the while he just stared at her with wide eyes.

"I thought you were gone forever…" she said.

Finn's mouth began to move as he tried to speak, but the words just mostly came out in mumbles.

"M-Mom?"

Finn was stuck in a trance of so many emotions as he attempted to comprehend everything that was happening. There was no denying she looked a lot like him. He often dreamed of the day that he would meet his actual mother, but of all the things he imagined her being, the queen of the last remaining human city was not one of them.

"Are… are you really…?" Finn started to ask.

"I can see part of him when I look at you face. Martin…"

' _Martin! She knows my dad's actual name. Which means… it really is her.'_

Finn reached out and wrapped his arms around Nora, with her doing the same again. From there, all Finn had in his mind was happiness. Real happiness that he only felt a very few amount of times; those times that he was with Phoebe. But this happiness was different. It was as if a void in his heart had filled from finding the one thing he didn't have in his entire life.

Once the two of them separated, Nora wiped away her tears and the two stared at each other's eyes once more. The first thing Finn noticed was Christine, who was still shocked from the entire ordeal, and Finn knew had an idea as to why.

"Christine…" he said as he began to walk towards her.

The girl just began to step away from him as he got closer until she began to run away and exited the room along one of the doorways that led deeper into the castle. Finn tried going after her but was stopped by Nora when she grabbed his shoulder. She turned to face everyone else in the room.

"Leave the two of us alone. Everyone." she said.

They all bowed and the Sentinels, plus the guards dressed in white armor, began to exit the chamber and went the same way as Christine. Phoebe stood motionless on the same spot as she kept staring at Finn before she was tapped in the shoulder by Seph and began getting lead out. She took one more glance at Finn right before they went through the doorway and were gone from sight, leaving Finn alone with Nora.

"I suppose… you have a lot of questions." she said after an awkward silence.

"A-where do I even begin?! How did you and Dad even meet? Why was I found on Earth? And why would the queen of Olympia fall in love with a jerk like him?"

"I can tell by the way you talk about him that you've already met."

"We have."

"And what became of him?"

Finn remained quiet for a while as he tried to remember the moment his dad went away.

"I… I don't know. It's very difficult to explain."

"Then explain it to your best ability."

Finn spent the next few minutes talking about how he was able to find his father and everything that happened between them until he went away. They hadn't spent much time together so it didn't take very long to explain, but all the information left Nora in a state of thought.

"It's… very strange. I'm not entirely sure what cosmic crime your father committed to end up in this 'Citadel', but I can't say that I'm glad he's gone."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

Nora sighed and motioned for Finn to follow her as she sat back on her throne. Finn just remained standing next to her as he waited for her to speak.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. It all started when I was just about you age. I was the princess and was set to be the next queen when my time came. During the time, there was also a king, my father. I was set to marry a member of the Varnon royal family and whoever I married would be the next king.

Finn made sure to pay close attention to everything she said as she continued.

"One day, the previous leader of the Sentinels before Victor, Adrian, came here with a new recruit for the Sentinels, and he was to be presented to my mother and father to be fully integrated with them. His name was Martin."

"My dad was a Sentinel?" Finn asked.

"Yes, but only for a few years."

"What do you mean?"

"The two of us didn't think much of each other when we first met. He was just your typical guy and I was, of course, a princess. He looked a lot like you, only a bit more… rough. As time went on, however, we began to see each other more frequently. And then something happened that was not intended: we fell in love. And as the years went on, we would see each other in secret, as it was prohibited for me to be with someone who wasn't of a royal family. But then we did the one thing that sealed our fate. We had you."

"I'm guessing your parents… my grandparents didn't take too kindly to that."

"Oh, no they didn't. They wanted yours and Martin's head on a spike. So the next course of action was obvious, and one that broke my heart beyond all measure. Your father left Olympia, taking you along with him. We didn't even get the chance to properly name you. But I think 'Finn' is a wonderful name. What I don't understand is why your father abandoned you afterwards."

"But what about Christine? Is she… my sister?"

"Half-sister. After your father left I was still forced to marry a member of the Varnon family. He became king and I became queen, and we both had Christine."

"What happened to him?"

"He died a few years later from a disease. While it was tragic, it wasn't necessary for me to remarry to somebody else afterwards since I now had a proper heir. And one day she'll be queen when she marries another royal family member."

Finn sat on the floor with his arm resting on his lifted knee as he processed all of the information he had just received. Finn always thought of his father as a criminal; but to think he was once a Sentinel shocked him, but at the same time made laugh on the inside when he imagined it. It was also shocking that Martin would also go through the lengths he did to keep Finn safe, though he still didn't get why he would abandon him when he was still young. The Martin Nora talked about was nothing like the one Finn knew.

"If you would answer them, I would like to ask you some questions." Nora said.

"Sure." Finn replied.

"How exactly did you end up in Olympia? And what brought you here to begin with?"

Finn thought carefully about the events prior to come up with the right way to explain.

"I suppose, by now, you know who Cypher is." Finn said.

"I do." she replied.

"Well, we've sorta met. He attacked one of the kingdoms down on Oo-Earth and he took some people close to me. I was rescued by the Sentinels and was offered a place among their ranks to fight back against Cypher and the Syndicate, so I accepted in the hopes of getting my friends back."

"I… see."

Nora wanted to ask further but Finn went back to the previous topic.

"So… does this mean I'm an heir to the throne as well?" he asked.

"No. Since you are descended from someone who is not from a royal family, you have no right to the throne. But I suggest you make this knowledge known to no one else besides the Sentinels. They'll keep you safe, but if your identity is revealed to the public, it could mean trouble.

Finn didn't respond, instead just nodded and got up from the floor.

"Can I go look for my friends?" he asked.

"Of course." Nora replied as she gestured towards the same doorway they were taken through.

Finn left without saying another word. He didn't exactly know which direction he was going, but he didn't care. He just needed to get away from Nora and clear his head. Absolutely nothing could've prepared him for what awaited him inside the palace. In fact, he found it difficult to believe that anyone would be able to comprehend anything in his situation.

He continued to walk along the hallways as he tried to keep himself distracted. There were paintings of people and valleys hung up on the walls but he paid little mind to any of them. He noticed on the corner of his eye that one of the doors in the hallway was slightly open. Normally he would just keep walking, but he saw the outline of a brown haired girl inside, and Finn had to make sure it was her.

He opened the door slightly and peeked in to find Christine sitting on a bed with her knees brought up to support her chin. Her room looked like any other room, save for the numerous amount of drawings that were stuck to the walls. There was a rather large desk with a mirror in front of it, but besides a few hairbrushes, it was mostly occupied by several notebooks and more drawings. Finn turned his attention back to Christine and noticed there was a tear running down her eye. He opened the door and made his presence known.

"Christine?" he asked, but all she did was turn her head away. He walked over to the bed and sat beside her. "Christine, I… I know this entire situation is hard to make sense of. I mean, how do you think I feel? But you can't deny the fact that… the two of us are related."

"So?" she asked.

"So? You're my sister, and I'm your brother. Well, half-brother, but you get my point. I know we haven't seen each other much since I arrived here but I really wanna get to know you better. What do you say?"

She remained silent for a while before she responded.

"Why would she lie to me? Why would she keep a secret like this from me for all my life?" she asked with her head still turned away from him. Finn knew she was talking about Nora.

"I don't know. And I know a thing or two about how harmful lying to a person can be. The people on Earth raised me and I was able to live a good life. But all my life I wondered if I had any real family out there. And when I finally met my father, I was left with nothing but anger disappointment. But knowing that you and Nora are both my family as well means more to me than you can imagine. So please, can you give me a chance to show that I can be a good brother, despite not knowing each other for all these years?"

Christine remained quiet for a few seconds but eventually turned her head to face him. Her tears had mostly dried up but she still sniffed several times.

"I never said I was angry with you. But this whole day… I just need some time to adjust, Finn. But when the time comes… I would like to get to know you, and you can get to know me."

She smiled at Finn and he smiled back. They both remained motionless for a while before they leaned in and hugged each other. Finn was about to speak once they separated, but they were greeted by a Victor when he entered the room.

"Ah, there you are, Finn. I know it's been quite the turn around, but we still have some business to accomplish here in the castle, if you think you're up to it."

Finn nodded and Christine followed them as they made their way back to the throne room where Seph and Phoebe were waiting. Phoebe looked at him and began walking his way.

"Finn-"

She was about to talk to Finn but Seph halted her before she could. The two of them stood straight facing the Nora on the throne as Christine stood next to her along with the white armored guards. Victor and Seph stood behind them and just waited.

"Now," Nora said, "while today's circumstances have been troubling on all of us, these two brave souls still wish to become part of the Sentinels; and here is they will take their vows."

She got up from her throne and walked towards the two of them as they bowed their heads. She looked at them for a moment before she took Finn's chin and lifted it up to meet his gaze.

"Are you sure you wish to do this? You're welcome to live here without having to be a Sentinel."

Finn remained quiet, and for a moment Nora thought he was considering her offer before he responded instantly.

"I'm sure. I have plenty of reason to join, and I will serve just as well as any other… Your Majesty."

Nora didn't seem too comfortable with Finn calling her 'majesty' but she made no further comments. She moved back a few feet so that she was standing in between both of them.

"Kneel." she said.

Finn and Phoebe did as she said and knelt while keeping their heads looking towards the ground. One of the queen's guards walked over to her and handed her a steel sword with a diamond placed in the center of its cross guard. She walked over to Finn first and placed the tip of the sword above his head.

"State your name." she said. Finn found it weird that she would ask his name when she already knew it but he complied.

"Finn Mertens."

"Do you swear to abide by the laws of Olympia and serve and protect it just as you would serve and protect me and my daughter?"

"I do."

She took the sword away from his head then moved over to Phoebe and did the same.

"State your name."

"Phoebe Flame." she replied without looking up.

"Do you swear to abide by the laws of Olympia and serve and protect it just as you would serve and protect me and my daughter?"

"I do."

Nora pulled back the sword and went back to standing in between the two of them.

"Then by my right as queen of Olympia, you are both now Sentinels. Rise up."

The two of them stood up straight and gave one more bow to Nora, which she returned in kind. Victor walked up to them and chuckled as he patted the two of them on the back.

"You're one of us now. And I expect you to hold your own very well when the fighting comes."

They all said farewell to the queen and princess and began making their way back out of the palace, but Victor was stopped by Nora.

"Victor, please watch over him." she said.

Victor smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. He's a great fighter."

He let go of her and he went to rejoin the group as they left the palace. None of them said another word until they were back inside the tunnel on the way to the Guardian District. Phoebe was the first.

"Finn…"

He ignored her and walked faster until he was right beside Victor. The leader realized Finn was angry from the look on his face.

"Yes?" he asked while looking forward.

"Did you know about this?" Finn asked.

Victor sighed and replied without looking at Finn.

"I knew of the queen's other child, but I swear I didn't know it was you. Though… I did have my suspicions."

"Suspicions? I'm just now finding out that my long lost mother is a queen! And you didn't think of it as important information even though you were just 'suspicious'?!"

"Calm down, Rookie." Seph said. "This doesn't change anything. You're one of us now, and that means you're still gonna help us be rid of the Syndicate. So quit your whining and focus on the threat."

"You're still gonna call me 'Rookie'?"

"That's what you are." he replied.

Finn wanted to continue arguing but he ended up ignoring him. Once the group was back in the training grounds, Finn instantly made his way inside the building without paying attention to Erik as he tried talking with him. Finn walked through the hallways until he found himself inside the building's lobby just behind the reception desk. He rubbed his eyes and kept walking from side to side.

"Finn, are you okay?" Phoebe asked as she came up behind him.

"What do you think?"

"I know it must be a lot to take in, but Seph is right. It doesn't change who you are or the reason for you being here in the first place."

"Is Finn having trouble again?" Erik asked as he and Sasha came in as well.

"It's none of your concern." Finn said.

"Well, if you're gonna be so grumpy about it, then clearly something's wrong. You can tell us."

Finn thought about for a second before he moved closer to the group. They all leaned in so they could hear him as he whispered.

"Okay, but you gotta swear to not let it leave this building. Understand?"

Erik and Sasha both nodded and Finn began to tell them all that happened in the palace. Their eyes and mouths widened the more he told the story before Sasha couldn't remain quiet anymore.

"OH MY G-"

"SHHHHH!" Finn shushed her.

"This is crazy. You're the queen's son?!" she said quietly.

"Yes, but I told you to not let it leave this building or it could be trouble. Can I count on you?"

"Oh, yes you can, good sir. We'll take this to the grave." Erik said.

"Good." Finn said.

Erik and Sasha said nothing else and went back outside, leaving Finn and Phoebe alone again. Finn groaned and covered his face with both his hands.

"It'll be okay, Finn. We're gonna get through this and then-"

Before Phoebe could finish, there was an explosion at the building's main entrance, sending flames and smoke all along the room and knocking everyone back with incredible force. Finn and Phoebe both hit the wall behind, but they were thankfully saved by their armor, despite a rough hit to the head.

Finn's vision was a bit blurry as he got up from the ground and his ears were ringing from the loud noise of the explosion. From what he could make out, there was definitely fighting going on all around him as the Vanguard fought to hold back what appeared to be Syndicate robots. One of them had finished impaling its sword through a Vanguard soldier and was now heading straight for Finn with alarming speed. The robot was already mere feet from Finn before a blade impaled it from the side and it was knocked down. The blade user turned out to be Phoebe, who had recovered from the blast. She stabbed the robot multiple times before getting up and helping Finn fully reorient himself.

"Are you alright?!" she asked.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I'll live."

There wasn't much time for talking as some of the robots were able to jump over the security checkpoint and were heading their way. Some of them stayed behind to fight them while the others opened the doors to head outside and deeper into the building. Those that stayed were quickly cut down by Finn, Phoebe, and some of the remaining Vanguard. Finn looked to see that some of the robots were heading up to the upper levels.

"After them!" he shouted as he put on his helmet and began running up the stairs.

Phoebe followed him closely as they went through the hallways of the second level. There were no signs of any of the robots anywhere, meaning they were probably deeper in the building. They were right about to pass right through Angie's office, which was slightly open and the sounds of fighting could be heard from inside.

"Angie!" Finn shouted.

They were about to rush in to help her when a robot was blasted through the door and was impaled against the wall. Coming out of the room holding what appeared to be a blaster and having sustained a few bruises was Angie.

She aimed the blaster at the scorched robot and furiously continued firing more shots despite it already being dead. She kept shouting as she fired each shot.

"NEVER. TRY. TO STAB ME. AGAIN! Oh, hi guys."

They were caught off guard by Angie's sudden change in tone but just shrugged it off.

"Are you ok?" Phoebe asked.

"It'll take more than one of these guys to stop me. I must say, being able to see one up close is very interesting."

"Right now isn't the time. The building is under attack." Finn said.

"Well, of course it is. You think I wouldn't notice something so obvious? Now let's run along and take care of them, shall we?"

She cocked a small handle underneath the blaster and followed the group as they made their way further down the halls. They found one of them standing right outside a broken down door and Angie blasted it away. Another one jumped out as soon as Finn went across the door but one of the Vanguard was able to stab it and pushed it away, giving Finn the chance to finish it off by chopping off its head. Once they reached the back of the building they were able to get a view of the training grounds through the window.

The rest of the Sentinels were fighting off a multitude of robots that kept pouring out of the building. They had little space to do so, however, since there were several gunners posted around, causing them to seek out cover. Erik, Sasha, and Alan were the one taking out the most of them but he had taken a few hits in the process, though the armor didn't allow them to penetrate their skin. Mike and Elaine were attempting to pick off the gunners one by one, which seemed to be going well.

"Where are Victor and Seph?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know. But if he's still inside we better find him before-"

Right before Finn could finish, a robot came bursting out of a door behind him and pushed Finn out the window, sending them both flying out and heading towards the ground.

"Finn!" Phoebe shouted as she tried to reach Finn before he fell.

Finn landed hard against the ground and the robot landed right next to him. It was able to get up quickly and attempted to stab Finn through his helmet but he was able to move his head just in time so the sword hit the ground instead. He took his own sword slashed the robot right across the chest, sending a pool of oil to fall on him and block his vision. He was able to wipe get up and wipe it off right before he was grabbed by Erik and was pulled towards a small wall to take cover.

"Are you alright? That was quite the fall." Erik said.

"I'm fine. How did they even manage to get in here?"

"I don't know."

Phoebe was able to jump down from the same broken window and took out one of the robots below by landing on him and stabbing it through the head. Another one was quickly coming up from behind her but she slashed it in half before running over to Finn and Erik's position.

"Whoa. Nice." Erik said.

"How do we deal with these guys?" Phoebe asked.

"Just keep killing them until they stop coming." Erik said.

It wasn't exactly a plan but the three of them went out of cover and began helping the others take out the rest of the robots. It reached a point where they stopped pouring out of the building and the training ground appeared clear of all of them. Most of them lowered their swords and began sigh in relief.

"No breathers just yet. There may be more of them!" Mike shouted.

Just as he spoke, another robot came out of the building. Everyone raised their swords and prepared for another attack but it was only one robot. This one, however, was different than all the rest.

It was a bit taller than the others and it was also thinner. Its metal plating was deep red and while its body was shaped like the others, its head was leaner at the bottom and it had large plates on each side of its head that resembled fox ears. Its eyes glowed a light blue color, the same as the two swords it held in both its hands. What stood out the most was a third sword that it held with a third arm coming out of its back, which was double bladed while the handle was in the center. It raised its sword and spoke to them in a deep and distorted voice.

"The Syndicate brings a message for the Sentinels: _We will not be ignored forever. Everything that flies must eventually fall to the ground. And Olympia is no exception. We will be heard soon enough._ "

"Enough of this crap." Mike said as he charged the robot.

Just as he reached it, it swung its leg sideways and hit Mike across the thigh, sending him across the ground and hitting the wall. The twins charged at him next, but it was able to easily parry both their attacks with bot its swords then used its third to slash away at them. They were barely able to dodge it as it cut through the right side of Alan's helmet and part of Elaine's chest piece. Mike was able to get back and attacked it from behind, but it was able to use its third sword to stop his attack without even having to look at him.

It turned around and grabbed Mike by the neck to throw him forward and hitting the twins. Finn jumped over them as they rolled across the ground to attack the robot as well. He attacked it from one side rather than the front while Sasha attacked from the other. Phoebe and Erik used the opportunity to go around and attempt an attack from behind.

Once Finn's and Sasha's swords made contact, Phoebe and Erik both charged at the same time from behind in an attempt to cut off its rear blade. Unfortunately, it was able to block it and kicked Phoebe away while slashing at Erik with one of its front blades, using its rear blade to deal with Finn and Sasha before both of them jumped back to evade it. Erik took a step back before Phoebe ran right past him and swung her sword forward. She nearly hit it before he dodged and grabbed both hers and Erik's wrists and threw them back towards Finn and Sasha, making them all fall to the ground.

' _This guy is too quick.'_ Finn thought.

The seven of them got back up and regained their stances in front of the robot as it walked slowly towards them.

"My sensors indicate a fault in your fighting techniques. Might is suggest accepting defeat and surrendering?" it said.

"Is he for real?" Erik asked.

"I don't care. He's going down!" Finn shouted.

All of them and the robot took battle stances and prepared to charge each other once more. However, right before they did, a strange figure jumped out of the broken window from above and brought its blade down on the robot right before it barely dodged it. The figure was wearing power armor, but it wasn't any Finn had previously seen.

It was as basic as could be and its color was only gray. His helmet was like all the others but instead it had what appeared to be a glowing red eye in the center of the forehead. The sword he wielded had a completely black blade with a white outline. The figure turned his head to look at the group.

"Are you all of you alright?" he asked. It was Victor's voice.

The robot didn't let any of them answer as it charged Victor and began to attack him. Victor didn't seem to have much trouble with it and appeared to be just as skilled in fighting as Seph. Once he was able to push the robot back far enough, Seph jumped out of another unbroken window and was able to slash away the robot's rear sword when he landed. The robot was able to block a few more of their attacks before it jumped seven feet in the air and landed backwards on the ground, facing the group.

"I will not fail my masters. You shall all meet you end today and-"

Right before it finished, a gust of wind went right through it and it remained completely still on the spot. Phoebe was now behind it with her knee bent forward and holding her blade behind her. The robot remained still for a few more seconds before it fell to the ground and broke into a multitude of parts. She had used the Shadowless Thrust on it.

All of the Sentinels gathered around it then looked back up at Phoebe as she took of her helmet and began breathing in relief.

"I couldn't stand him anymore." she said.

"I suppose the move is somewhat useful; if their distracted like idiots." Seph said.

Finn, Phoebe, Victor, and Seph all gathered in a group while the rest examined the downed robot. Victor took off his helmet and sheathed his sword.

"It's been a while since I've used this." he said.

"I didn't know you had power armor." Finn said.

"Of course. It was my master's armor. Type II." he replied and looked around the field. "Looks like the attack might be over. But we should scour the area just in case."

"How do you think they got in here without us noticing?" Finn asked.

"I don't know. But if they can do it, its cause enough for us to act fast." Victor replied.

"WOOOOOO!"

They all turned their attention to the shout and found Angie running across the field looking at all the downed robots.

"Look at all these parts! This like waking up on Christmas morning! HA HA!"

She continued her rambling as she continued to run from one robot to the other and examined their parts. Seph sighed and looked back at the group.

"Well, at least someone's happy."

* * *

 **CoolDudeAgent: Good to hear. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

 **Fiery Crusader: I'm glad I was able to surprise even you. Still, your ability to guess ahead… it's making me uncomfortable.**

 **Ooobserver: It's always a fun day when I can make a proper plot twist.**


	14. Chapter 14: A Night of Dance

**Chapter 14: A Night of Dance**

Finn sat in a small chair in the headquarters' burnt lobby as it was being cleaned and the bodies of those who fell were moved away. He spent most of his time staring at his sword, which he didn't bother to clean from all the oil that got on it along with the rest of his armor. Phoebe was sitting next to him as she also observed the cleaning process. The two of them had requested to help but everyone else insisted otherwise since they had already done their job.

Finn got up from the chair and walked along the room while making sure not to accidentally bump into any of the workers. The entire walls were black from the explosion that caused the large hole that was now in front of the building and there were a few people who had survived but were severely wounded and were being taken to the medical facility. He knelt down and grabbed a piece of the rubble before crushing it with his hand and making the ashes fly away with the breeze.

He turned his attention to one of the corpses that were lying on the ground. It was the body of the same female receptionist that had implanted the small I.D. in his hand. Her eyes were still open but she wasn't moving. She had a piece of sharp metal stuck to the side of her neck, which Finn guessed obstructed her breathing. He kept looking at her unblinking gaze before she was also taken away by some of the workers.

Finn took another glance around the room as he felt Phoebe's hand placed on his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Finn?" she asked.

"I'm fine. It's just… Most of these people weren't even soldiers. They were just secretaries and office workers doing their jobs. But most of them are dead and we're still alive. Makes you question why the ones who die are the ones who don't deserve it."

"No one deserves to die like this unless they've done something to earn it. Which is what the Syndicate have done by killing these people."

"Yeah, but all we've done is kill robots, not people. Robots can be replaced. We struck a hard blow against them and now they've struck back; but our losses were worse."

Phoebe couldn't think of anything else to say so she just stood next to him as they watched everyone else around them working. It wasn't long before Sasha came into the room with a bandage wrapped around her left arm and another around her right thigh. She stood next to them without saying a word for a few seconds as she rubbed her hand gently against the wounded areas.

"So much for tight security." she said. "They managed to get in here so easily and they almost managed to actually kill us."

"It won't happen again. We'll find out where their hiding and we'll put a stop to them." Finn said.

"You sound so certain. But I suppose I can admire that. Let's just be glad we're still breathing and they were never able to get to the queen or the princess. You did a really good job out there with that move." she said the last part pointing at Phoebe.

"It's something I learned not too long ago." Phoebe replied.

"Can you do that?" Sasha asked Finn, who began looking around awkwardly.

"Not… not really. But I'm getting there."

"You should teach it to me sometime. Then Erik will probably shut his bragging mouth for once… Anyway, I'm gonna go take a shower. I still have the smell of oil on me."

Sasha left and it was then that Finn and Phoebe both realized they also smelled like oil. The two of them decided to stay in the lobby for a bit longer as they waited for the sun to start setting.

"She's right, you know." Finn said.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, confused.

"You did really great out there today. You fought well and you managed to use the Shadowless Thrust again with no problem. I might even go as far as to say that you…"

Finn trailed off and never finished his sentence. Phoebe waited for him to finish but he never spoke again.

"That I'm what?" she asked.

"It's nothing." he replied without looking at her.

"What do you mean 'nothing'? You were gonna say something else, so say it."

"I thought I was going to but I realized I was talking without knowing where I was going. Let's just drop it."

Phoebe wasn't convinced of it but she knew there was no way of getting him to confess. At least not yet.

Once the sun set, they made their way to their rooms and took some good showers before they both went to sleep for the night.

(3 DAYS LATER)

The next few days were spent normally as all of the Sentinels trained on the courtyard and helped around with the reconstruction. While most of it was still a bit destroyed it was fixed enough so they could continue their normal routine. No one else seemed to mind it even though some of their wounds were still around, but they were still able to fight without any trouble.

Phoebe was training with Sasha while Finn spent his time still attempting the Shadowless Thrust. He was able to gain more distance the more he attempted it but he still couldn't perform it correctly. Eventually he got frustrated and stopped the training to go sit down near the wall as he watched everyone else. Shortly after, the door to the Jewel District opened and Victor stepped out, seeming exhausted and rubbing both his eyes. He went over to Finn and sat next to him on the ground with a loud sigh.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked.

"I've spent the last few days in the palace discussing the attack with the queen and her guard. They asked for every single little detail and asked for what our next move should be. And after that the queen wouldn't stop asking if you were still safe even though I kept telling her you were."

"She worries about me too much."

"Well, how would you feel if you found out your long lost son is still alive and is now living next door to you and is a soldier who risks his life fighting off robots and terrorists?"

"Good point. I'm surprised she didn't come out to check for herself or invited me to the palace."

"She planned on it, but the recent attack is keeping her busy at the moment. She does expect you to come visit soon, however." Finn and Victor looked around the courtyard for a while as everyone else trained. "Angie has been analyzing the memory banks of the robots to see if she can find out where they came from, but it might take a while. So for now it's business as usual."

Victor said goodbye to Finn and went inside the headquarters. Finn decided to continue his training with the Shadowless Thrust and then sparred with Erik for a while. They both spoke as they blocked each other's attacks.

"So… I was thinking…" Erik began. "I know the past few days have been tough, but have you gotten the chance to actually see Olympia?"

"What do you mean?" Finn asked right before he dodged a downward slice from Erik.

"Sasha and I were thinking of heading out to town tonight to clear our heads. I figured you and Phoebe would like to come with us and we can show you around the city. See all there is to see and do."

Finn slashed at Erik and he quickly blocked the attack and sliced back. Finn blocked his sword and pushed him back before kicking him across the chest and sending him falling to the ground. Finn offered Erik a hand and got back to his feet and taking off his helmet.

"I guess that would be fun." Finn said. "Though are you sure you don't wanna go with Sasha only?"

"This again? I told you there's nothing going on between us. Get that through your skull and I won't say anything about you and Phoebe."

"Say what about us?"

"Are you going or not?"

Finn thought for a few seconds and looked over to Phoebe. She and Sasha were both talking to each other rather than training. Finn couldn't make out what they were saying but Phoebe ended up smiling and moved her head up and down, meaning Sasha probably asked her as well. Finn looked back at Erik and took off his helmet as well.

"Alright, I guess we'll go." he said.

"Nice. We leave early tonight as soon as the sun is gone. Wear something stylish. Doesn't have to be fancy, we're going to Sapphire District, not Diamond. That's where the _real_ fun is."

"Okay then."

"Good." the two of them put on their helmets and readied themselves again. "En guard!"

"What?"

Finn was caught off guard and nearly toppled over as Erik swung his blade forward. Finn quickly regained his balance and swung his own blade, locking it with Erik's as the two tried to push each other back.

It was past noon when the two of them finished training and Finn was left with Phoebe again. Rather than using swords, however, the two decided to practice with their grappling hooks to get the hang of them. When the two hanged from the top of the stone wall Finn caught her attention.

"So I'm guessing Sasha told you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. Are you going as well?"

"Yeah. I figured I could use a break from all this."

The two of them jumped down from the wall and landed on the ground with a lot of force, causing Phoebe to nearly fall over before Finn grabbed her and held her tightly close to him.

She had her helmet off so Finn could see her face clearly. He got lost in her wide open crimson eyes as they slightly shook from the scare she received. Her expression eventually softened to where she was now staring back at him, causing him to get lost even more.

"Finn?" she asked.

"What?"

"You're… kinda crushing me."

He looked down to see he was still holding her very tightly and quickly let go of her.

"Sorry." he said as his cheeks turned red.

"It's okay."

Finn quickly put on his helmet so Phoebe wouldn't notice his blush and went back to their original practice. All the while he couldn't get her eyes out of his mind.

* * *

When the sun set over Olympia Finn waited outside Phoebe's room as Erik waited outside Sasha's. Finn was wearing a gray hoodie over a blue shirt with jeans and black sneakers while Erik was wearing a black jacket with a white shirt and black pants with dark brown shoes.

Sasha was the one to come out first. She wore a plain purple shirt with jeans and white sneakers along with black bracelets wrapped around her wrists. Phoebe came out shortly after wearing the same clothing she wore on her first day of training.

Once the four of them were ready, they began walking through the hallways and into the lobby before stepping into the dark Guardian District as it was illuminated only by the amount of stars in the sky along with the moon, which looked huge in comparison to how it looked down on Ooo.

They all followed the path that led towards the Guardian Tree and made their way to the districts gate as they spoke to each other. Finn and Phoebe followed behind as they continued their conversation, staring away from each other awkwardly while waiting for the other to speak first. Finn was about to but they were briefly separated by the Guardian Tree as they walked around it, meeting again on the other side.

"How are you holding up?" Finn asked.

"What do you mean? I'm fine." Phoebe replied.

"I'm just wondering since we haven't actually made much progress in getting your powers back."

Phoebe didn't reply for a while, she just looked away from him and scanned the dark forest around them. Erik and Sasha were still speaking but their conversation was hard to hear as they spoke quietly.

"It's… certainly a different experience, living without my powers. But I think I'm starting to get used to it. I actually enjoy being able to touch water now. It feels… nice. Though I miss being able to burn down forests. This one would've burned very bright."

She turned to Finn with a smirk on her face. He felt rather uncomfortable after what she said before she began chuckling.

"I'm kidding. You take stuff way too seriously."

Finn chuckled back and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I knew you were bluffing." he replied, putting on a smile.

"Sure you did. For a second there you looked like you had seen a ghost. I haven't burned any trees in a long time since I took over the Fire Kingdom. I figured it wouldn't exactly bode well with other kingdoms, but I didn't mind."

They ended their conversation when the vault door of the district came into view. It didn't look as secure as the one leading to Diamond District, but it still looked hard to break through. There were two guards standing on each side of the door and in front of it was Angie, who appeared to be tinkering with it.

"Hey, Angie. What are you doing?" Erik asked.

"Oh, hey guys. I'm just checking the door to make sure everything's in order. I find it strange that the Syndicate was able to break in here without having to blow it up. It doesn't even have a scratch on it."

"Do you think maybe they broke in through the hangar?" Finn asked.

"Eh, since when do you need to blow up the front door when the only way into the hangar is through the lift? … Thought so. I'll just keep checking. If you need to use it, be quick about it. I have to get back before Jeffrey gets hungry again."

"Alright. Good luck, Angie." Sasha said.

One of the two guards pulled out a small round key just like Victor's to open the gate. The key he had was smaller, however, but it went through the same process as before. They stepped through once it opened and the guard retrieved his key once it closed again, leaving them walking down the long glass tunnel away from Guardian District with only a few small lights and the moon to light where they were going, though it was only a matter of walking forward.

It took several minutes to walk across the tunnel before reaching another vault door. Once the door opened after Erik knocked on the door several times in a specific rhythm they were met with two other Vanguard soldiers guarding it from the other side. Neither of them said anything, Finn assuming it was because they knew Erik and Sasha. The vault door closed and the group was left looking at what appeared to be a military checkpoint in front of them lined with several soldiers. Beyond it was a small park like area where several people roamed around, and behind them were the massive skyscrapers of the Diamond District.

They looked a lot taller than Finn saw them the first time he flew in the VTOL with Victor. A lot bigger. Since it was nighttime the buildings were lit up like lanterns and their light prevented the stars in the sky from being seen. There were several street lamps as well in the park below that illuminated the way of the civilians walking and chattering in the benches. Most of the men wore suits while the women wore dresses, but the children all wore normal clothing, despite seeming fancier than what Finn and Phoebe would consider normal clothes.

Erik got their attention a few minutes after they trailed off from the sight and were able to go pass the checkpoint and into the park. Finn and Phoebe both got lost in the sights of the park as they went past a few fountains, but their attention was quickly drawn to the multitude of cars lining the streets on the other side.

Most of them bore strange designs, which Finn assumed was fitting to the people of the district, though they were no Hot Daniel. Erik and Sasha led them to the edge of the sidewalk and the group stood there without moving. There were other people standing around as well, which made Finn and Phoebe confused.

"Uh, what are we waiting for?" Phoebe asked.

"It should be here soon." Erik said as he checked his wrist watch.

They waited for a few minutes before a large red bus with another set of chairs on an upper floor. Erik gestured for them to follow inside as everyone else got on. Once they were in, Finn looked around for any seats but they were all taken.

"We'll sit on top. It's more fun anyway." Erik said.

The group followed him up and were able to find some empty rows at the very back of the bus where they could see out the rear window clearly. Finn wasn't sitting by the time the bus began going again so he was forced to hold on to a pipe before then falling properly onto the seat next to Phoebe, who appeared to be uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked.

"This bus is a bit cramped but I'll manage. Don't worry about me."

Most of the trip was spent with the two of them looking out the window at the streets as Erik and Sasha both spent their time talking. There were all manner of people and shops along the streets from perfume shops to bars and what appeared to be one of the opera houses Sasha had mentioned once. Finn couldn't help but smile at Phoebe's face as she witnessed everything around them. Even though he was impressed and took several glances as well, he still couldn't help but look at her sometimes. Luckily for him she was too distracted to notice him.

"It's incredible, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah. It really is." he replied.

The bus made several stops along the way but they never got off for a full hour before Erik and Sasha said it was their stop. They had to walk a bit longer through the streets until they reached the edge of the buildings where the road ended into a giant the giant steel wall that divided the Diamond and Sapphire districts.

The entire thing reached the glass dome that covered the city from above, making it round at the top rather than straight. There were several search lights at the very top that scanned different areas but most of them were focused on the wall's gate, which allowed for a limited view of what was on the other side but looked solid enough to keep anyone from trying to break through out. The amount of soldiers around were few, but they compensated for the fact that they had guns rather than spears.

"Just let us do the talking for now. It'll be a while before the soldiers get used to seeing you around." Erik said.

He was the first to walk over to the gate as the rest of the group followed him. The soldiers pointed their guns when they got close but they did their best not to make any sudden moves. Erik reached one of the soldiers and began talking to him, though he was a bit too far to fully hear the conversation. The soldier looked back at the rest of the group then back to Erik before putting his fingers against the side of his helmet. Afterwards all of the other guards lowered their weapons and Erik motioned for them to follow.

They were all stopped at the gate when the soldiers asked to scan their hands for their I.D. To their relief, everything checked out and they were cleared for entry as the outer and inner gate opened upwards. There was a small tunnel as they passed underneath the wall, which made Finn and Phoebe nervous as they heard several creaks over them, but made it to the other side without problems as the gates closed again behind them.

The Sapphire District didn't seem much different that Diamond, save that the people were wearing regular clothing and the cars weren't as fancy looking. The buses didn't have multiple roofs and the shops still sold the same items but not of the same quality.

"I know a good bar not too far from here. Shall we have a few drinks?" Erik asked the group.

"Are you even the proper age to drink?" Phoebe asked.

"We're Sentinels. Trust me."

Finn and Phoebe both looked at each other then back at Erik.

"I suppose a few couldn't hurt." Finn said.

* * *

It wasn't even Finn's fourth drink when his vision was starting to get blurry. It wasn't anything mind boggling but the sensation made him feel a bit sick, and the loud music playing wasn't helping him get better. Phoebe was sitting on the stool next to him drinking a regular glass of water, claiming she hated the taste of the alcoholic drinks. Finn thought they tasted weird as well but kept drinking as Erik dared him to.

"Why would you ask for Whiskey for your first time drinking?" Sasha asked.

"I didn't know it would be this bad." Finn said as he held his head with his right hand.

"No more for you tonight, then. You lose the dare." Erik said as he drank a bottle of beer.

"It's your fault! Why would you encourage him?" Sasha asked.

"It's funny. Look at him."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable." Phoebe said and got up from her stool. "Come on, Finn. Let's go outside for a bit."

Finn complied with a short grunt as he got up from his stool and walked out of the bar with Phoebe as he nearly tripped over several tables. Erik laughed but was quieted when Sasha slapped him in the back of the head and forced him to spit some of the beer out on top of the bar.

"What the heck was that for?!

On the outside Finn was drinking from Phoebe's glass of water as they walked around the streets. Finn groaned a bit and rubbed his head and quickly blinked his eyes to wipe away the blurriness.

"How do you feel?" Phoebe asked.

"Ugh, my head hurts a bit but I'm fine. I should be able to survive the rest of the night."

Phoebe smiled a bit and the two of them continued their walk. It wasn't long before they found themselves inside a small park filled with grass, several trees, and benches along the stone paths. They both sat on one of the benches and looked around the mostly empty area, save for several people walking around and a man sitting on a bench not too far away playing the guitar.

The two of them said nothing to each other as they watched the people walking by and listened to man's guitar playing. Phoebe continued to look at the man as Finn kept drinking water until it ran out, grunting in frustration. Phoebe wanted to say something to break the awkward silence but found that Finn was looking away from her.

She turned her head away again and continued to look at the guitar player. She kept tapping her foot to the rhythm of the music as the instrument was played either softly or went into a catchy tune. Phoebe stopped her foot tapping and thought for a moment before she grew a smile on her face and got Finn's attention.

"I have an idea." she said.

Before Finn could ask what it was, she grabbed both if his wrists and dragged him out of the bench, making him trip and nearly fall until he was able to regain his balance. Phoebe pulled him closer to where the guitar man was and they both stood in front of the bench he sat on.

"What are we doing?" Finn asked.

"We've never done this before. It'll be fun." she said.

Before Finn could respond, she took his left hand and placed it on her hip, causing him to blush even more and widely open his eyes. She raised her right hand up and entwined her fingers with Finn's left hand, giving Finn an idea of what exactly she was doing, which surprisingly worked to calm his nerves a bit. The two of them began moving their bodies slowly from side to side as they danced to the guitar's music. The guitar player noticed them and a smile grew on his face before looking back down to his guitar and began playing a different, softer tune than the previous.

Finn's head still hurt slightly from the amount of alcohol he drank earlier, but the pain was non-existent as he focused on matching Phoebe's pacing with the music. Once again, he got lost in her crimson eyes as their movements remained on par with the tune, which were only made brighter by the smile on her face as Finn stretched out one of her arms and twirled her around in place before going back to their original stance.

Their moves changed just as the music did, going at different varying speeds. There was a point when the music was going very slowly and Phoebe leaned her head sideways on Finn's chest as he rested his chin on top. The entire scenario had him confused, but he didn't want to end the moment and he never wanted the music to end. He wanted to stay right there with her and dance for as long as he could.

They stopped dancing momentarily when they saw another couple walking by as they each held each other's hand. The two of them were smiling and laughing together before both leaning in and placing a kiss on each other's lips. Finn looked back at Phoebe once they were gone to find her looking at him as well, appearing to be leaning in closer to him… or maybe he was leaning in closer to her. He couldn't tell.

Just as their lips were about to connect, Finn was knocked out of his trance and he instantly pulled away from her, going back to their original pose as before. He let go of her hips and she unwrapped her arms from his neck. Finn opened his mouth to speak but instead turned towards the guitar player.

"Thanks, man." Finn said.

"No problem." the man replied before going back to playing.

He turned back to Phoebe.

"We should get back to Erik and Sasha." Finn said.

"Y-yeah, we should." she replied.

Finn continued to have a mental war with himself as they walked back the way they came. She was right there in front of him, he could've easily kissed her and yet he didn't. His thoughts were interrupted when they ran into Erik and Sasha on the sidewalk.

"There you guys are. Erik here has something he would like to say." Sasha said.

Erik seemed rather hesitant to say anything before Sasha slapped him in the back of the head again.

"I'm sorry I made you drink Whiskey." he said as he rubbed his head.

"It's okay, man." Finn replied.

"Well, now that we got that settled, shall we continue our night of fun? I know a great clothing store not far from her that I think you'll absolutely love, Phoebe." Sasha asked.

"Sure, that sounds great." Phoebe said.

"Are you seriously dragging us to buy clothes?" Erik asked.

"Oh, come on. It'll be really quick and then we can do whatever you want. Please?" Sasha begged as she pouted her lips and made them tremble.

"Ugh, fine. But you owe me."

"Yay. Let's go."

Finn and Phoebe smiled at each other one more time before they followed Erik and Sasha through the city's streets.

* * *

 **Note: Almost wasn't able to upload this today but here it is. This is actually one of the first chapter with the slightest hint of romance in a while. Not much of that going on at the moment but I guess it might change later on. Who knows?**

 **Fiery Crusader: At least it's good to know I can still keep you guessing.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

 **Ooobserver: I guess we'll find out the truth of their intentions soon…**


	15. Chapter 15: Perspective

**Chapter 15: Perspective**

Christine took a deep breath as her eyes shot open and quickly sat up on her bed. She looked around the room as she breathed heavily but everything still looked the same as she remembered it. She took a sigh of relief and went back down on her bed, wiping away her sweat as she looked at the clock to find it was 6:57. She tried to get some more sleep but she couldn't keep her eyes closed long after closing them, so she decided to get up and get dressed.

She went to the bathroom then brushed her messy hair as she sat in front of the mirror in her room. Once she was done, she put on her royal blue dress and her tiara and grabbed her drawing notebook. She opened the door and was confronted by a Vanguard soldier stationed right outside her room with spear in hand.

"My Lady." the man said as he bowed his head.

Christine bowed hers as well in respect and went on her way. She stopped just as she was passing the doorway into the mess hall, where Nora was sitting at the end of the table working with some paperwork while drinking some tea. Her two personal white armored guards were standing on either side of her keeping watch. Christine took the opportunity as she wasn't looking and walked as quickly as she could to the other side of the doorway.

"Don't think you're sneaking away again that easily, young lady." Nora said without taking her eyes off the book.

Christine stopped right as she was halfway across the doorway and cringed when Nora called out to her. She cursed quietly and put on a fake smile as she turned to face the room.

"I was heading to the throne room. I wasn't planning on heading out." she said.

Nora looked up from her book and looked at Christine, seeming rather unconvinced.

"I see all manner of people in my line of work, Christine. I can easily tell when someone is lying or when they're keeping secrets. You don't have to try and persuade your way out of-"

"Who are you to talk about keeping secrets?!"

Christine was surprised at her own tone of her voice. Nora, however, just looked at her quietly before sighing and turning to her guards.

"Leave us for a moment." she said.

The guards bowed their heads and walked past Christine as they went out of the room. Nora gestured towards the chair next to her, which Christine sat on without question as she laid her notebook on the table. Nora offered her some tea and she accepted.

"I know you must be angry with me. I admit it was foolish to keep something like your brother a secret. But you must understand, what I did, I did it for your own safety. I love both of you so much, but the people of Olympia would see Finn dead if they find out who he was. The Sentinels will keep him safe, but I don't want you involved in this."

"So you would have me locked in here all day and not even let me see him? Am I just here as a prisoner to carry on a life that I don't want?!"

"Christine, please…"

"You expect me lead this city and its people, but how can I do that when the only world I've ever know is the one _you_ want me to see?"

"And what's the world _you_ want to see, Christine?" Nora asked in a serious tone.

"I wanna see the world beyond the boundaries of Olympia. The world below where Finn came from. From what he has told me, it doesn't sound as bad as you've made it out to be over the years."

Christine waited for her mother to somehow scold her but she didn't say anything. She took the cup of tea Christine had and took a sip of what remained in the cup before placing it down on the table.

"Christine… I know I say this a lot, but… I only do this because I don't want to see any harm come to you. It's true that Earth isn't as dangerous as I've made it out to be but it still has its dangers nonetheless. I can't say I'll let you go down there, but if you wish, you may leave the palace whenever you wish and speak to your brother. I won't stop you."

Christine still wasn't fully satisfied but she still liked the idea of being able to visit Finn whenever she wished, especially since he could tell her about Earth for her. She grew a smile on her face and got up from her chair to give Nora a hug, which she happily returned.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm sorry I got a bit mad."

"It's okay, sweetie, I understand. Just know that despite everything that has happened I still love you very much."

"I love you too." Christine said.

She got up and began heading out of the room before Nora called her.

"At least eat some breakfast before you go."

Christine was hesitant to stay but decided to stay behind. She said no word to Nora as she ate, though it was probably since she was finished in less than a few minutes. She got back up and began walking out before Nora stopped her again.

"And Christine? Please be careful. With the recent attack and everybody on edge, I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to you."

Christine simply smiled and nodded before finally making her way out of the room. Once she was out the two guards that were previously posted next to Nora went back inside the room, bowing their heads to Christine as they walked past her.

She made her way past the throne room and went outside to the palace's courtyard where all the guards bowed their heads as well. She used her key to open the districts vault door and crossed the glass tunnel to the other side. She peeked her head around the corner of the second door to see if there was anyone at the courtyard. There was Mike, Alan, and Elaine, but she couldn't find the rest. She stepped out of the door completely and close it before making her way to her normal hiding spot behind the tall wall.

The next few minutes passed by slowly for Christine as she continued her wolf drawing on her notebook, which was only missing a few details around the paws and tails. She took a break from it and peeked her head around the corner of the wall where she saw Finn, Phoebe, Erik, and Sasha all entering the courtyard and talking to each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying but Phoebe seemed to laugh at something Finn said. He looked over to her direction and she quickly hid to avoid being seen, even though she wanted to see him.

Christine decided to wait a while longer before coming out as she returned to her drawing. Only a few seconds passed before Finn jumped around the corner and yelled "BOO", causing her to scream. He started laughing but she just grunted in annoyance.

"Don't do that!" she said.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Already acting like a big brother, aren't I?"

"Yeah."

Finn placed his back against the wall and slid down to the ground as he rested both his arms on his knees.

"So how have you been?" he asked.

"I've been alright. The fact that we're related is still bothering me somewhat but I guess I just have to get used to it. Which is kinda why I'm here."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I was thinking that maybe we should get to know each other better."

"Okay, what do you wanna know?"

Christine pondered the question for a moment then asked the first thing that came to mind.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked as she thought the question was stupid.

"Baby blue. Though it's probably a bit cliché." Finn responded.

"No, it's fine. Mine is purple. Which is probably also a bit cliché."

"Cool." Finn replied.

There was and uncomfortable silence between them as they tried to think of anything else to say.

"So, a more personal question and I hope you don't mind me asking. Who did you live your life with on Earth?" Christine asked.

"Uhhhh, this may sound stupid, but I was raised by dogs."

Finn looked over to her and noticed she was struggling a lot to hold in her laughter. The face she made as her lips shook made her look adorable, but she was eventually able to speak without laughing.

"Okay so-hehe- you were raised by dogs?"

"I'm serious. Joshua and Margaret. Talking dogs and private investigators."

At this point Christine couldn't hold back her laughter.

"And I thought the lands made of candy joke was funny."

"Whatever…" Finn said and waited until she stopped laughing. "Where did you learn to sing?"

Her expression changed from happiness to complete confusion.

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.

"Not to sound creepy, but when I was walking up to you the first time we met you were singing. I don't know many people who can sing as well as you can."

Christine pondered the question for a moment as she looked around. The noise of Mike hitting a dummy and sending it flying to the other side of the yard distracted her but she quickly regained her thoughts.

"I don't know. It's just something I've been doing for as long as I can remember and I do it whenever I feel bored. Sometimes I'll just start singing out of instinct even when I myself don't notice."

"Nice. You know, I used to sing a few times back on Earth."

"No way." she said in disbelief.

"I'm serious."

"Will you sing to me?"

"Ha, no way."

She got on her knees and held her notebook close to her.

"Aw, come on. Please?"

"Someday, but not today." he looked over to the training grounds then back at Christine. "It was fun talking but I think I need to go."

Christine seemed a bit disappointed but forced a smile on her face.

"It's fine. It was nice to hang with you for a bit."

She went back to her original sitting position and reopened her notebook, thinking that Finn had already left. To her surprise, she suddenly felt someone kiss her on the cheek. She turned to find knelt down beside her, smiling.

"Later, sis." he said.

Before Christine could say anything else to him he got up and walked away to continue training with the other Sentinel. After a few minutes of watching them sparring and rubbing her cheek, she got up from her spot and did her best to go around them as she made her way inside the headquarters itself.

Everyone in the building either bowed their heads to her or attempted to keep their distance all together. Once she went out through the main gate, she wasted no time in getting to the Guardian Tree, where she sat down once again in front of the sunflowers that surrounded it and continued with her drawing.

Her pencil snapped hallway through a line and caused the paper to get stained in an area it wasn't supposed to, making her grunt in annoyance. She decided to stop drawing for now and closed her notebook, getting startled by the sound of voices getting closer from behind her. She quickly got up and hid behind one of the nearby trees to wait for whoever it was to pass. To her somewhat relief, it was Victor and Seph.

The two Sentinels walked in front of the Guardian Tree and looked at it as they talked. Christine moved a bit closer as she made sure they couldn't hear or spot her so she could hear their conversation.

"Look, I'm not saying it's right, it's just the way things need to be." Victor said.

"I admit they can fight, but they have absolutely no experience in the field." Seph replied.

"If this is to go right they're gonna need all the help they can get. And we have to stay here to ensure the queen's and princess' safety."

"And if it goes wrong?" Seph asked as he looked towards Victor.

"We have to believe it won't."

"But we have no idea what Cypher could have in store."

"It's very possible we'd be sending them into the meat grinder, but I guarantee they'll all agree. Especially with the help of whatever Angie's been tinkering with." Victor explained.

Seph seemed unconvinced but just sighed. He began to look around and Christine instantly hid further behind the tree to not get spotted.

"I should be the one taking Cypher on." Seph said as he turned back to Victor.

"I know how much this means to you, but like I said, we're needed here." Victor replied.

Seph sighed and he rubbed his eyes than looked up at the towering tree above him.

"Who knows what he's doing right now."

* * *

"I win."

Cypher spoke with a firm voice as he aimed his crimson blade at a downed Syndicate member on the ground. Bolts of electricity ran through the blade, filling the surroundings with its red light.

The room around them was completely empty of anything except them. Its walls were made of metal and was only illuminated in the center, leaving all of the edges in darkness. The room was used more as an arena than anything else.

The man lying on the ground below Cypher was wearing a set of gray power armor, but most of it was covered by a hooded cloak of the same color. He wore a mask with goggles that glowed a dark green color. Rather than a sword, he had a chain wrapped around one hand and another which he held on the other. Each chain had tiny bolts of electricity running through them. He groaned when Cypher stepped on his hand and then walked away, sheathing his sword once again.

The man got up from the ground without a problem and managed to wipe away all the dust he had collected from the fight. He stretched both his arms and his bones cracked, and then he did the same with his legs.

"You got lucky." the man said.

"Luck has nothing to do with it, Thomas. I'm just better than you. I've always been." Cypher replied.

"That may be, but you better watch your back from now on."

"Likewise."

The two of them turned their attention to the room's door once it opened, letting in another member of the Syndicate.

The other member was a woman. Her skin was extremely pale, her hair was a dark violet color, and her eyes were a very light shade of blue that glowed in the darkness. Her armor was the same color as her hair on the arms and legs, but on the torso it was white. She wore a transparent visor over her right eye. On the back of her armor were folded mechanical wings that resembled those a bird and had small jets pointed back. She had a set of Sais sheathed on her hips.

"What is it, Angel?" Cypher asked.

"Terrance has asked for you. He's in the engineering bay." her voice was very soft and slightly echoed through the room.

"Of course he is. Where else would he be?" Cypher replied.

The three of them went out of the room and into a hallway patrolled by numerous robots. Each of them saluted the group every time they passed by them. Once they went out of the hallway, they entered a large factory which was filled by the sounds of drills, large machines, and the sparks of welding equipment as the robots worked around every corner building more robots. In the very center of the factory was the Sleeping Fire Giant, which stood tall over almost everything in the room.

They didn't stay too long as they went through another door to another hallway before entering an elevator. When the doors opened again they were met with a large room filled with nothing but robot parts that were either lying on the floor or hanging by hooks from a ceiling. The room had a few windows that got a good view of the factory area below. Terrance was on the other side of the room working on something placed on a table as he used a drill on it as two robots stood guard on opposite sides of the room. He stopped after he heard the door open and saw the group.

"Ah, there you are. I was hoping-"

"Get to the point, Terrance." Cypher said, shutting Terrance up.

"Eh… of course." he cleared his throat. "I just want you to know that the procedure was successful. He should be ready to return now."

"Where is he?" Cypher asked.

"Follow me." Terrance replied as he waved his arm for them to follow.

They went through a set of double doors and entered what appeared to be a medical room. Gex was sitting in a corner of the room and powered up once the group entered. The giant robot stood up from the corner, having to stay hunched to not hit the ceiling, and walked towards them and greeted them with a low hissing noise as steam came out from the tubes on his back.

"It's good to see up and about again, Gex. But your time will come, be patient." Cypher said, earning another hissing noise before Gex went back to the corner.

There were two beds inside the room. One had Flame King strapped to it, the other had another unfinished robot that resembled Gex but smaller. Terrance walked them over to the bed where Flame King was lying still on the bed looking at the ceiling. He turned his head when Cypher stood right above him and examined him.

"I'm assuming Terrance explained everything?" Cypher asked.

"Yes." Flame King responded.

"Good. Now understand, do this right and you'll have all kingdoms at your feet in no time." Flame King began to chuckle but came to a stop when Cypher pulled out his sword and aimed for his throat. "But if you double cross me in any way, I don't think I need to explain what will happen. Am I clear?"

"Ye-yes." Flame King replied.

Cypher sheathed his sword back and gestured towards Terrance. The scientist walked towards the double doors and whistled, signaling the guard robots to come in. Once they did, he pointed towards Flame King's bed and they began to move it outside of the room.

"Can you at least untie me?" Flame King asked but was ignored.

Terrance was about to follow but was stopped by Cypher when he called out to him.

"What about that one?" Cypher asked as he pointed towards the robot still in building process.

"He'll be ready soon. Don't worry, sir, everything will go according to plan. I'll make sure of it."

Terrance went outside the room and closed the door behind them, leaving them in the room with Gex and the unfinished robot. Cypher walked up to it and examined the machine, which was missing multiple parts in its chest plus both its arms and right leg. Thomas and Angel both stood next to him.

"Do you think it'll work?" Thomas asked.

"It will. And even if it doesn't, it won't change a thing." Cypher replied.

"It won't be as easy as we originally thought, however. With the death of Nadia, we're down an extra set of fighting hands." Angel said.

"I said it won't matter. We won't be doing much of the work anyway. They'll do it for us."

"What about the girl they rescued?" Thomas asked.

"What about her?" Cypher asked.

"Well, they have her now. That's an extra fighter they have. And based on the video feed we got during the attack on their headquarters, she's quite the fighter."

Cypher looked towards Thomas and began walking towards him. Thomas walked backwards until his back touched the wall behind him, and Cypher's red glowing eyes were right in front of him.

"Are you getting soft on me, Thomas?" Cypher asked.

"N-no."

"We already got what we needed from her. So if you ever see her in person I expect you to slit her throat."

"I will."

Cypher stepped away from him and went back to towards Angel, but Thomas remained leaning against the wall.

"They're gonna find us soon enough. And what happens when they do?" Angel asked.

"Don't worry. By the time they do everything will be in place and the final stage will commence. Then we'll kill them." Cypher said.

"And Seph?"

Cypher's eyes narrowed and his grip on the edge of the table where the robot laid, causing the metal to slightly bend.

"Especially him." he said.

"You sound very certain." Angel said.

"Have I ever been anything but? You should know after everything we did escaping from Olympia. A lot of people would've hesitated to drive their blade through Adrian's heart. But I enjoyed every moment of it. And I'll enjoy all there is to come in the future."

"You seem to be having fun." Angel said.

Cypher looked at her and she could tell he was smiling.

"Oh, I am."

The three of them remained standing inside the room in complete silence, save for the occasional steam hissing that came from Gex.

"Also, sir, there's something I think you should know." Thomas said.

"What?" Cypher asked.

"Well, as you know, the Sentinels have recruited Phoebe into their rank, but they've also recruited someone else before her."

"So they have two new ones. So what?"

"Because the other is… Finn Mertens."

Cypher instantly looked over at Thomas and drew out his blade, leaving it merely a few inches away from his neck.

"Finn is dead. I struck him down myself."

"I'm afraid not, sir. I double checked the video feed from the start of the attack and one of the robots got a clear shot of his face, there's no doubt. He's still alive and was recruited by the Sentinels. Meaning we have who was considered a hero on Earth fighting against us. And what's more, if our info is solid, he is also the heir of the queen."

Cypher remained his sword pointed at Thomas, and for a moment he actually thought he was gonna get killed. Instead, however, Cypher lowered his blade and started to chuckle. It started out low at first, but his laugh became louder and louder to the point where he sounded like he was laughing at a really funny joke. He sheathed his blade and rested his hands on the unfinished robot as his laugh died down.

"Are you… okay?" Thomas asked.

"Okay?! I've never been happier! This guy is going to make this whole thing a lot more fun."

"Are you joking?" Thomas asked.

"Oh no, Thomas. Far from it. This guy is the son of the damn queen. And what's more, he'll surely come to us seeking revenge, making all of this," he gestured around the room, "all the more amusing."

"And what of his friend, the dog?" Angel asked.

Cypher ran his hand across the robot's leg and chuckled.

"By the end, he'll be broken. They'll all be broken."

* * *

 **Ooobserver: I'm glad you enjoyed it.**


	16. Chapter 16: Metal Teeth in the Dark

**Chapter 16: Metal Teeth in the Dark**

Finn jumped backwards as Alan attempted to punch him, barely missing his left cheek as he struggled to keep himself from falling to the ground on his back. Finn threw his own punch back at Alan but the other Sentinel was quick enough to dodge it as well before he kneed Finn in the abdomen and then elbowed him on the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Alan was about to kick Finn as he laid motionless, but he was able to grab his foot just before it hit and pulled it over him to make Alan fall to the ground beside him.

Finn quickly got up and attempted to do the exact same to Alan but he was surprised by getting his legs swooped off the ground by Alan's own legs and set to the ground. Alan then sent a punch flying downwards towards Finn chest before he was able to grab it with his open hand. Finn used the opportunity to punch Alan in the stomach and set him falling to the side. Finn was able to get up quickly after, but so did Alan.

The fighting went on without either of them being able to best the other, but Finn was able to hit Alan on more than one occasion. Finn sidestepped away from one of Alan's punches and grabbed his extended arm. Alan couldn't react fast enough before Finn twisted his arm around his shoulder and sent him falling towards the ground on his back while pinning him down with his knee. Finn raised his fist and brought it down just a few inches away from Alan's face.

Alan expected Finn to say something witty or rub his triumph defeat in his face but was instead surprised when Finn extended his arm to help him up. He accepted the help and groaned as Finn pulled him up from the ground. Alan wiped away all the dust that covered most of his armor.

"What did you think?" Finn asked as he removed his helmet. Alan did the same and took a few breaths.

"Well, you're no stranger to hand-to-hand combat. Not surprising why Mike didn't break your neck when the two of you fought." Alan said.

Finn looked behind Alan to see Phoebe also practicing her combat with Elaine, though neither of them had bested the other just yet. Phoebe was able to grab Elaine's extended arm and threw a punch at her face, but the other Sentinel grabbed it with her other hand and their arms became twisted with one another. Elaine swept Phoebe's legs with her own and the two were sent towards the ground. Elaine was able to get free and tried pinning Phoebe down before she raised her leg and hit Elaine in the back, causing her to fall forward.

Phoebe quickly got up and strafed towards the left when Elaine got up and swung her leg upward in an attempt to kick her, but it was her undoing as Phoebe grabbed it and she flipped her to the ground, pinning her down for good. Once they finished, Phoebe helped Elaine up and the two groups met.

"How'd it go?" Alan asked.

"Girl knows how to fight, I'll say that." Elaine responded.

"You can handle yourself pretty well, actually." Phoebe said, though Elaine just scoffed.

"You got lucky." Elaine said.

"Still, practice makes perfect." Alan said.

"Although you could stand to lose a few pounds and you'd move faster." Elaine said.

"WHAT?!" Phoebe shouted.

She was held back by Finn right before she could do anything drastic. The twins just stood motionless and their expressions unchanged as Finn worked to calm her down.

"We appreciate the training." Finn said as Phoebe calmed down.

The twins both left without saying another word and Finn unwrapped his arms around Phoebe.

"What happened to controlling out temper?" he asked.

Phoebe just mumbled under her breath. The two of them sat down with their backs against the wall as they took a break.

"So what exactly were you doing behind the wall earlier?" Phoebe asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I was talking to Christine." Finn replied.

"Does it make you uncomfortable that your sister is royalty?"

"It did at first but… deep down she's just like any other person. She's got her own hobbies, pass times, activities; and all she really wants is to see what Ooo is like… I'd like to get her to see it one day if I get the chance. She's kinda like you were when you went outside your lamp for the first time."

Phoebe could remember the experience well. Seeing all of her new surroundings and animals had peeked her interest and amazed her far beyond anything she had ever seen within the lamp. Though she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at remembering that she nearly burned down the entire Goblin Kingdom.

They both stopped in their tracks when they noticed Seph coming out of the headquarters and started walking towards them. The two of them did the sensible thing and got up from the ground to salute, but were stopped as soon as Seph noticed their intentions.

"The only person you need to salute around here is Victor, and he doesn't take a liking to it. That aside, he wants you to come meet him and Angie in her lab." he said.

"What do they want?" Phoebe asked.

"Go there and find out. I'm not one of the squires you're used to telling you everything, princess."

Phoebe growled and was about to speak before Finn held her back by grabbing her shoulder.

"We'll be right there." Finn said.

Seph glared at the two of them one more time before he walked off.

Finn let go of Phoebe's shoulder and they both went inside the headquarters as Phoebe kept glaring angrily at Seph. They both reached Angie's lab in matter of minutes to find Victor and Angie both leaned over a table looking at what appeared to be some blueprints. Finn and Phoebe could catch a glimpse of what they were talking about as they walked inside.

"I'm not sure this is such a good course of action." Victor said.

"Come on, it'll be a great bonding experience. You should have more faith in me." Angie said before turning to see Finn and Phoebe as they walked in. "Ah, here's two of them."

"Two of them?" Finn asked.

Just after he asked, the door opened again and inside came Erik and Sasha. The four Sentinels looked at each other confused for a moment before Erik looked towards Victor.

"Should we come by later or…?"

"No, no. We wanted to speak to all of you." Victor said. "But we're still missing one."

Just before they asked who, Mike walked into the room, immediately giving an angry glaze at Finn. Finn returned the gaze then they both looked towards Victor and Angie.

"What's he doing here?!" thy both asked.

"If you'll let me explain," Angie said. "As you're probably aware, the recent attack from the Syndicate has made everyone very uneasy. Meaning there has been an increase in security from now on. I was able to analyze some of the memory banks from the robots and found another of the Syndicate's facilities. Unfortunately, due to the previously mentioned increased security, Seph and the twins will not be able to go check it out and will instead stay here. That's where the five of you come in."

"So, we're basically Seph's replacements and you want us to check out the facility instead." Sasha said.

"That would be the easiest way of saying it, but yes." Angie replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you expect me to fight next to this brute?" Finn said as he pointed at Mike.

"And you expect me to work with this pipsqueak?" Mike said.

"I can beat you any day of the week, just try me!" Finn replied.

"I could punch you to the ground right now if I wanted. Just because your mother is the queen doesn't mean-"

"Enough!" Victor yelled. "This is one of the main reasons we're doing this. If the two of you can't put aside your differences and learn to fight with one another then having the two of you close by every day will be a nightmare."

Finn and Mike just bowed their heads in shame, but not before giving another angry glance at each other.

"Well, I for one, don't mind dealing some more personal damage to the Syndicate. Where are we going?" Phoebe asked.

Angie pointed towards the blueprints placed on the table, which all had drawings of the same structure from different angles.

"An oil rig?" Erik asked.

"Yep," Victor said. "Placed a few miles off the coast of the mainland. The Syndicate has made it operational again and is using it as a command center for most of their troops. We don't know if Cypher or any of his allies are placed here, but if he isn't, we can still hack into their systems and find out where they are."

"But how are any of us supposed to hack into their computers?" Erik asked. "I don't suppose you'll be accompanying us, and I doubt any of us have any sort of in depth knowledge of computers."

"As a matter of fact, you do." Angie replied as she pointed towards Sasha.

The whole group turned towards the girl, who was rubbing her arm and looking at nothing in particular as she avoided their glances.

"I have been… shadowing Angie's work for some time. I think I can hank into the Syndicate's systems given some time with their computers."

"Whoa, you know about hacking. That's awesome." Erik said, prompting a smile from Sasha.

"But sir," Mike said. "I made a promise that I would never set foot on Earth ever again."

"I am aware of that, Mike. But we're facing troubling times and we need every hand we can get. You're a great warrior and I have no doubt this mission won't prove much of a problem. Am I understood?"

Mike was clearly angry, but he made no move as he responded to Victor as calmly as possible.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well," Victor said. "I know you all have little field experience, especially Erik and Sasha, but this will prove to be another advantage of us against the Syndicate. And hopefully we'll also find out where Cypher is hiding and end this."

The group looked around at each other for a few seconds then Erik stepped up.

"Let's get this started then. I mean, really, how big can the ocean be?"

* * *

Night had fallen during the VTOL's flight towards the oil rig. A storm had caught them in the middle of the trip and was causing giant waves on the ocean below them. Erik and Sasha stared in either amazement or fear at the phenomenon, especially when the sky was light up in blue from the large lighting strikes with their loud booming.

"I knew the ocean was big but… that is a _lot_ bigger than I expected." Erik said.

Finn, Phoebe, and Mike were all sitting opposite from them. Phoebe was also looking out at the storm but her expression was blank, leaving Finn with no indication about her current mood. Mike was just sitting sharpening his sword on his seat, looking kind of angry. Finn himself was sitting in between the two, looking at the ground, lost in thought. He looked towards Phoebe when she got his attention by patting him several times on the back.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I'm just… I'm still worried about Jake. It's been so long since he's been captured and I'm afraid of what they might've done to him. And everything that's happened these past few days hasn't lessened my worries _at all._ "

He went back to looking at the ground as he waited for a response from Phoebe. Rather than words, however, she responded by placing her hand on top of his and giving him a warm smile.

"We're going to find him, Finn. I'm sure of it. I don't think Jake will lose any hope of that either, no matter what they might try to do to him. If I know him well enough, he's too stubborn to just give up."

"Ha, you should see him when he tries to exercise," Finn replied as he forced his own smile. "But I suppose you're right."

Having felt a bit better, Finn straightened himself up on the seat. He looked out the window and stared at the large waves of the ocean. Even though any normal person would find the sight scary, Finn just found it sort of calming. He wondered how he was ever afraid of the ocean to begin with. He kept thinking to himself that if he could get over his fear of something like the ocean, he could overcome any obstacle; even Cypher.

He was brought back to reality when the pilot spoke from the front and got everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone, since there's tight security on board the oil rig, I'll be dropping you off near it. You'll have to swim there but the whole place is packed with search lights. Just swim in their direction and find a way inside."

"Let's just get this over with." Mike said as he got up and stood near the hatch.

Everyone followed and put on their helmets. The hatch opened and the group began to get assaulted by the rain but they were able to stay put inside. Finn felt someone grab his hand and looked behind to see it was Phoebe. Once the pilot gave them clearance, everyone jumped out of the VTOL and landed straight into the water, instantly being surrounded by darkness of the deep blue ocean.

Finn had closed his eyes before impact and waited before he started to open them. If it wasn't for the HUD display of his suits helmet there wouldn't be much of a difference. He and Phoebe were still holding onto each other's hands as they floated around. He was still holding in his breath but tried exhaling when he found his face was still dry. Surprisingly, he was still able to breathe normally.

"Cool." Finn said then turned to Phoebe. "Are you okay?"

It took her a while to realize she could still talk before doing so.

"I… I think so." she replied.

" _You two alright?"_ Erik asked through the radio.

"Erik?" Finn asked. "Where are you guys?"

" _I'm on the surface with Sasha and Mike. We can see the oil rig from here, come on."_

Finn looked towards Phoebe to see if she was still okay then began swimming up towards the surface as she kept holding on to his hand. The sound of thunder and rain got much louder as soon as both their heads were above water level and they found Erik, Sasha, and Mike all waiting. Phoebe let go of Finn's hand as they both turned to look at the oil rig, with its search lights that illuminated the sky from a distance even with the storm limiting the view.

"We've got some distance to swim so let's get to it." Sasha said as she began to swim towards the oil rig.

The suits allowed them to swim with ease and without getting tired, making the trip easy despite all of the large waves. The lights from the oil rig became brighter the closer they got, which made Finn relieved to know they were actually making progress. They would sometimes lose sight of each other but they were still able to talk through their radios.

It took some time, but the oil rig was now directly in front of them, looking much bigger that it did when they began swimming. Mike told them to follow him as he led them underneath the massive supports that held the entire structure in place, stopping once they were directly underneath the center.

"If we climb up the supports there should be a maintenance hatch at the top that leads directly inside." Mike said.

They all looked up at the cluster of support pipes above them. The little amount of space would make it difficult to use the grappling hooks so they resolved to slowly climb up the smaller pipes. The journey was made easier when certain catwalks had ladders that led further up, even though they were nearly caught by the random robot patrols walking around.

"At least we know this is definitely Syndicate territory." Erik said.

The group was nearly to the hatch when they were forced to pass through a narrow pass. The pass was only a few feet wide, so they had to squeeze their way through. Finn had little problem getting through as he followed Erik, Sasha, and Mike, but stopped in his tracks to check on Phoebe, who was breathing heavily as she climbed behind him.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Her breathing only louder and quicker.

"I… I don't know if I can do this, Finn." she said.

Finn wasted no time in climbing closer to her and grabbed her hand.

Hey, hey, calm down. We're nearly there. Just keep grabbing on to my hand and I'll lead you out."

"It's too tight here. I feel like the walls are-"

"Don't think about that, just focus all your attention on me, okay?"

Phoebe tried to ease her breathing as much as she could and began to climb up again. Her grip on his hand got stronger the more time they climbed but Finn kept giving words of encouragement.

"It'll be over soon. It'll be over soon. It'll be over soon…" Phoebe kept repeating to herself.

" _Finn,"_ Mike said through the radio. _"What's taking you so long? We have to hurry or we're gonna get spotted, so move your-"_

"Not now, Mike!" Finn replied.

Finn was able to make it to the final catwalk where the rest of the group was waiting. Erik helped the two of them up and were finally out of their predicament.

"Took you long enough." Erik said.

They all turned their heads to the sudden sound of Phoebe taking off her helmet and begin breathing heavily. Finn took off his own helmet and walked over to her, placing a hand on her back as her breathing began to slow down.

"You did great. It's over." Finn said.

"What's wrong with her?" Sasha asked.

"Nothing," Phoebe said. "I'm alright."

"Wait… are you claustrophobic?" Erik asked.

"Um… kind of." Phoebe replied.

"'Kind of'? We're just learning this now?!" Mike yelled.

"There's no going back now. Let's just go in and finish this." Finn said.

Mike grunted in annoyance.

"Fine. Let's just get this whole thing over with."

Mike began walking along the catwalk and Erik followed. Sasha gave one more look at Finn and Phoebe before following as well. Phoebe put on her helmet and nodded, showing that she was ready to go and they both joined the rest of the group.

Mike eventually led them to a small ladder that led up to a small hatch at the top. He was the first to go up and slowly opened it to peek inside, closing it almost immediately after.

"There is a patrol inside. Two hostiles." Mike said as he looked down at the group.

Right before anyone got the chance to say anything back, Mike reopened the hatch and immediately jumped inside as he closed it behind him. The group stayed still in one spot trying to decide whether to follow him or not, especially after the sounds of fighting began coming from inside. After a few seconds of silence, the hatch reopened and two mostly destroyed Syndicate robots were dumped out, filling some of the catwalk with oil as they fell against it then down towards the ocean. Mike peeked his head out the hatch and gestured towards the inside.

"Zero patrols inside now." he said.

"Are you crazy? You could've alerted more of them." Erik said.

"I know what I'm doing. Come on."

Erik was the first to climb up the ladder, then Phoebe, then Sasha, and Finn was the last one to enter as he closed the latch behind him.

The hallway they found themselves in was poorly lit with some lights flickering, but it didn't fully obstruct their vision. The oil stains from Mike's fight were still on the floor, which made them worry that it would cause problems if any other patrols walked by. Mike began walking without saying a word and the group did likewise.

There were several patrols along the path, but they were luckily able to get past them without being seen or having to kill them. Mike was able to detect incoming patrols coming from around the corners, which would've resulted in them getting spotted if he wasn't around to alert them in time to hide. Finn thought their luck was getting good… until they were now forced to traverse through the outside of the oil rig.

Finn peeked his head out the door and saw the area was filled with robots and search lights, plus the added gunner placed on high places scanning the area. He closed the door and turned to the group.

"How's it looking?" Phoebe asked.

"There a lot of them out there. Even with the storm, they're still gonna be able to spot us easily if we try to navigate through the area, especially with those searchlights."

"There's gotta be some way…" Sasha said.

Finn looked around to see if he could find anything of use. It was then he noticed Erik was not among the group.

"Uh, Mike, where's Erik?" Finn asked.

The group looked at the hallway around them and found no sign of him.

"He's gone." Mike said.

"You think? Why do you always state the obvious?" Sasha asked.

"Hey, lay off. I don't have to take anything from you in this babysitting mission." Mike replied.

"Will you just back off?" Finn said.

"Look, I never wanted to come back down here. It's your fault Victor sent me along with you guys."

" _My_ fault. You're the one who hated from the moment we met for no reason whatsoever. If anyone is at fault here, it you. So I suggest you shut it."

Mike got up and slammed Finn against the wall.

"Listen to me you little runt, if anyone is gonna be giving orders here it's me!"

Phoebe got up and separated the two of them, throwing Mike against the opposite wall in the process.

"Will you two just stop it?! There's enemies everywhere and they'll find us if you two don't work things out."

The group remained silent for a few seconds before Erik came out of one of the doors in the hallway, taking off his helmet and showing a wide grin on his face.

"I think I know of a way to sneak past those robots." he said.

"How?" Sasha asked.

Erik simply nodded his head and the group followed inside the room. It appeared to be a small storage area filled with mechanical parts and boxes, but the group got confused at the sight.

"Uh, Erik, how can any of this help us?" Phoebe asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Boxes." he replied.

"Boxes?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah. We can use these boxes to hide ourselves while on the outside. These robots are programmed to keep the area safe from intruders, I don't think they would pay much attention to a few out of place boxes."

"Using boxes for hiding. That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Sasha replied.

"You have a better idea besides fighting our way out, I'm all ears."

Sasha seemed to be trying to come up with a plan of her own but Finn spoke for her.

"I think we should try it."

"What?! Are you seriously suggesting that we have the slightest chance of getting by unnoticed?" Mike asked.

"I say it's better than having to fight. It might sound ridiculous but it's our only chance given the little amount of hiding space. Only problem would be that we have to know exactly when to move." Phoebe said.

Mike and Sasha both still seemed indifferent but ended up just sighing.

"I'll be officially done with life if this craziness actually ends up working." Sasha said.

Once Finn made sure the door wasn't being watched he led the group outside while they all remained underneath the boxes. They all dropped to the ground as soon as they were outside and the door closed, making sure no one noticed anything. They all scouted the area through the small holes in the boxes, waiting for the perfect moment to start moving again.

"How are you doing, Phoebe?" Sasha asked.

"It's just a box. I'll be fine." she replied.

"Go, go." Finn said once the coast was clear.

The group raised themselves from the ground and kept moving, stopping just a few feet ahead as a searchlight went past right above them. They still hadn't been noticed and continued moving forward, avoiding the gaze of the gunners and dropping to the ground when they looked in their direction. It was becoming increasingly harder for Finn to keep track of all robots on his own; luckily Mike was able to assist him by pointing out the ones on the ground.

The entire group came to a sudden halt when a robot came around a corner and appeared right in front of them. The robot looked at the cardboard boxes and tilted its head at them. Finn held his breath as the robot began to walk closer and closer to them, placing its grip around its sheathed sword. Finn put his own hand on his sword and prepared to jump out and make a run for it.

The robot was now standing inches from the boxes, looking down at them and studying them. Right before Finn lashed out at it, the radio on its shoulder made a static noise and another robot spoke through it.

"Unit A-113, we have lost contact with units D-095 and B-176. Orders are to verify the problem."

"Understood."

The robot took its hand off his sword and walked past the boxes, prompting the entire group to give a sigh of relief.

"They may find the oil stains from the previous robots Mike destroyed. We should move." Sasha said.

Through constant vigilance and sheer luck, the group made it to the other side of the oil rig and went back inside. Once they were positive the hallway in front of them was clear, they all removed their cardboard boxes.

"I can't believe that worked." Sasha said.

"Told you." Erik replied.

The group successfully made their way past the few patrols until Scrap pointed towards the room they were looking for; an intel room with several computers holding data on the Syndicate's activities. There was a robot patrolling the inside that nearly called for help as soon as it saw them but was dealt with quickly when Finn slashed him with his blade.

Sasha sat down and began hacking into one of the computers. It took a few minutes as everyone else kept a lookout for any robots but she was able to get in and began looking through the archives.

"Apparently, the Syndicate have a hideout located somewhere on the mainland that receives shipments back and forth from this place. However, there is nothing more of interest in this computer."

"Nice going, Sasha." Erik said.

"Well, we still have a few more to go so let's get to it." Finn said.

Just as Sasha was getting out of the computer, the entire oil rig began to shake violently, causing everyone to lean against the wall as they were thrown to the sides from the impact.

"What was that?!" Phoebe asked.

The oil rig shook violently again and the group barely managed to stay on their feet.

"I think something is taking out the oil rig's supports!" Sasha said before the place shook again. "If the fourth support is taken out we'll-"

Right before she could finish, the oil rig shook for a fourth time and it began to tilt sideways. Everyone grabbed any object that was nailed down or stood on the wall that was beginning to face downwards right before water began to enter the room. It wasn't long before the entire room was filled and they were all left swimming around.

"Is everyone alright?!" Erik asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Phoebe answered.

"Then let's get out of here before this place hits bottom." Mike said.

Everyone regained their bearings and swam out of the room. The suits allowed them to continue breathing as they began swimming back the way the way came in an attempt to get out of the oil rig, running into several of the robots that were destroyed by the impact. After turning through a maze of hallways, they were able to find the exit and found themselves in the dark ocean once again as the oil rig kept sinking to the bottom.

"Is everyone alright?" Finn asked.

" _Yeah, we're all still here."_ Phoebe said through the radio.

" _Let's just head up. I don't wanna stick around to find out what just destroyed the oil rig."_ Erik said.

The group began swimming up towards the surface, which was still pretty far since the oil rig sank fast after its collapse. The broken supports could still be seen, and they seemed as if they had been cut through.

' _Wait… it actually looks… bitten.'_ Finn thought.

He noticed that several areas of the supports had what appeared to be bite marks along their sides, and each one was too big to be a shark. In fact, Finn doubted that any normal shark would be able to bite through solid supports.

He began to scan the area to find anything that might've been related, but he couldn't see anything from the darkness of the ocean. It wasn't until the group was further up that he finally saw something: a large sea creature, much bigger than a shark, with glowing red eyes that pierced through the darkness and was heading towards them.

"Uh, guys? We're not alone here!" Finn shouted.

They all turned towards the beast's direction and it opened its large jaws. Finn swam as hard as he could towards the side and avoided just barely getting eaten as the creature roared past him. He was able to get a good look of it for a few seconds as it repositioned itself.

It did look like a shark, but it was much bigger than any shark Finn had ever learned about. Its mouth was so big that it could swallow a regular person whole with just one bite. Its teeth were as sharp as any shark, but they glowed like metal every time the beast growled. That was the most disturbing thing about it: It appeared to be made entirely of metal.

The beast roared again and swam back towards Finn with alarming speed. Finn was able to dodge its mouth but was smacked hard across the torso with its tailfin, sending him swirling through the water without being able to get his bearings. He was stopped while spinning by Sasha, who had her own sword out.

Erik, Mike, and Phoebe were waiting as the beast laid on eyes on them and began swimming towards them. They both swam in opposite directions and attempted to slice away at it as it passed by. The three were knocked away by the beast's tail fin but Phoebe was able to slash away half of it right before she got hit, making it leak out oil and covering the beast's surroundings with the dark liquid.

" _I'm guessing we have the Syndicate to thank for this."_ Erik said.

" _It looks like a shark but it's much bigger. And somehow way more ferocious!"_ Sasha said.

The beast swam towards Phoebe and opened its jaw to bit her, but she was able to swim quick enough to have it swim right by her side before cutting off its right fin.

The beast ignored the injury and began to swim right towards Finn. He stayed still as the beast drew closer to him, making everyone stare in terror as it came closer to catching him in its mouth. When it came close enough, Finn extended his arm forward and shot the grappling hook, having enough speed and distance so that it got impaled in the beast's eye, shattering it and causing more oil leakage.

Finn was tugged fiercely by the arm when he dodged the best's attack and it swam right past him, dragging him along the ocean. Finn tried as much as he could to grab on to it to steady himself but it continued to thrash violently from side to side. After the beast stood still for a split second, Finn was able to get right beside the beast's head and pulled himself on top of it, pulling out his sword and impaling it.

The beast still kept swimming afterwards even as large amounts of oil kept leaking out and landing on Finn, limiting his view. He grabbed the sword's hilt and with all his strength began to pull back on it in an attempt to slice the beast in half. However, right before he could make much progress, the beast moved up and down with all its might and was able to shake Finn off along with his sword before it was able to catch his legs between its teeth.

" _Finn!"_ Phoebe shouted.

Finn raised his sword and began to constantly stab it side, but there wasn't much affect since it was its already damaged side and it only served to have it tighten its grip on him. Right before it was able to do any real damage, Finn saw another hook attach to the side of the beast's eye. There was another blade that appeared through the oil and slashed away the side of the mouth, giving Finn enough space to free himself. The same sword that freed him also managed to take away most of the beast's upper head, making numerous parts fly out at once and making it release another fearsome roar.

The beast thrashed violently, sending whoever was on top of it flying off and float above the large cloud of oil. The beast's remaining red eye flashed several times before going completely black and its thrashing began to die down, eventually becoming completely still and begin sinking towards the bottom of the ocean.

Finn breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of it finally being defeated, right before Phoebe suddenly grabbed both his shoulder from behind and swung him around, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Don't ever do that again!" she said.

Finn returned the hug and chuckled.

"Thanks for the help back there." he said.

Phoebe let go of him and tilted her head, giving Finn the idea that she was looking at him confusingly even without being able to see her face.

"But… that wasn't me." she replied.

Right before Finn could ask, he saw Mike swimming towards them, with his armor seeming to have taken a hit on its side from the beast as he got kicked off. Finn knew Mike couldn't see his face, but he still forced a smile on his face and nodded his head in approval. Soon after, Sasha joined in on the group.

"Are you alright? That was quite the bite that thing gave you."

"I'm fine," Finn replied. "Only a few dents. Where's Erik?"

"On the surface. He sent a signal to the VTOL. It fly by to pick us up soon, so we better get up there."

The group swam back up to the surface where Erik was waiting. After answering more questions from him, they saw the VTOL fly towards them and begin hovering above them as ropes dropped down from the side, allowing them to get on and immediately close the doors as they took a breather.

"It's official, I hate the ocean." Erik said.

Sasha went up to the cockpit and tapped the pilot on the shoulder.

"We're still not going back to Olympia." she said.

"What? Then where?" the pilot asked.

"Yeah, please enlighten us." Erik said.

"We didn't get much information from the computer, but we know where to find another of their bases. I say we take them out as well as soon as possible." Sasha explained.

The group looked at each other for a while, trying to come up with a solution.

"Well, I'm up for it." Finn said.

"Are you sure? You just-" Phoebe began saying before Finn stopped her.

"I am. I'll do whatever it takes to find Jake."

Phoebe simply nodded and Erik began chuckling.

"You're gonna end up getting us killed, Finn… I say we keep going." he said.

The group turned to Mike, waiting for his decision. Mike studied all them for a few seconds before sighing and rubbing both his eyes.

"Fine, let's go. But I can't say I'll enjoy it."

The entire group nodded and Sasha handed the pilot the new directions. They all sat down on the seats and went to sleep for the night, with Finn being the last one awake. Once he relaxed, he leaned his head against the metal frame next to the seat and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Note: Well… this week has been a real pain for me. But that's the beauty of prewritten chapters; you don't have to worry about writing for a few weeks while other stuff goes on.**

 **Fiery Crusader: A lot of assumptions here. Let's see if you're right.**

 **Ooobserver: Enigmatic is my favorite kind of antagonist.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: I guess only time will tell. Thanks for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17: Stranded

**Chapter 17: Stranded**

Finn woke up from sleeping when the heat from the sun entering through the VTOL's windows hit his face. He blushed deeply when he saw his arm was wrapped around Phoebe and she rested against his shoulder. He wanted to remove his arm but it was pinned between her and the wall, so he just decided to look around. Out the window he could see they were now flying over a desert, with nothing but sand dunes stretching out in every direction with no sign of life and the occasional rock that gave the only shadows. His attention was brought back to Phoebe when she let out a yawn and began to sit up straight, with her eyes still luckily closed to not notice Finn unwrapping his arm from her.

"Good morning." Finn said.

"Were we flying all night?" Phoebe asked as she yawned again.

"Yeah. Sleeping while sitting inside one of these things is not very comfortable. I don't know how far we are from our destination." Finn replied.

Finn looked over and saw Erik and Sasha were also waking up. Erik groaned as he outstretched his arms and cracked some of the bones.

"I loathe having to sleep while sitting." he said.

Finn then noticed that Mike wasn't sitting among them like the night before. He looked over and his eyes widened in terror when he saw Mike was flying the helicopter as the actual pilot slept next to him. Finn instantly got up and went towards him.

"What are you doing?!" Finn yelled, causing the pilot to mumble and wake up.

"I figured it was safer if I took control so the pilot could get some rest. Now sit back down." Mike said.

"You agreed to this?" he asked the pilot.

"He offered. Besides, he knows where we're going. I told him."

"Yeah, and this isn't the first time I've flown a helicopter, now sit back down." Mike repeated.

Finn grunted and was about to head back to his seat. Just as he was about to sit down, he noticed Phoebe was giving him a scolding look and had her arms crossed. He was about to ask why but he realized right before he uttered a single word. Grunting in annoyance, he turned around and went back towards Mike.

"Hey…" Finn said.

"I thought I told you to sit back down." Mike replied.

"I know, it's just… I wanted to thank you… for saving me last night. I could've lost my legs if you hadn't come along."

Mike took some time to reply, which gave Finn the original idea that Mike had ignored him.

"I hate you, but I don't hate you _that_ much."

Finn simply nodded and sat back down next to Phoebe, who had a smile on her face but tried to hide it by looking out the window. Erik and Sasha were both doing the same as well, no doubt amazed by the large amount of sand everywhere.

"So, Sasha," Finn said. "What exactly is this place we're looking for?"

"I didn't get much info from the computer, but apparently the Syndicate set up shop in some old settlement in this desert not too long ago. They were receiving arms and equipment from the oil rig, supposedly to assist in the reconstruction." Sasha explained.

"Is there any chance that we might find Cypher there?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe? Though it's highly unlikely he travels very far from their main base, which we still have no idea where to find and the computer didn't give any details to its whereabouts. They've been really careful in hiding that information, as you could tell from the fact that they destroyed the entire rig to keep us from getting it."

"Programming a failsafe with a giant robotic shark. Geez…" Erik said.

"If only we knew what their plans were. Why would they need the Sleeping Fire Giants?" Phoebe asked.

"And Jake." Finn added.

"I don't know much about those, but-"

Right before Sasha could finish speaking, a red light began flashing inside the VTOL and an alarm began sounding. Finn looked out the window and saw another aircraft flying towards them. Rather that the wide shape of the VTOL, its body was slimmer and was able to move a lot faster. It was also a lot more loaded with weapons on each side. Painted red on its sides was the Syndicate's lion symbol.

"Is that a gunship?!" Erik asked.

Right then, the gunship fired one of its missiles and began flying at high speeds towards them.

"Hold on!" Mike shouted.

The VTOL began to tilt sideways and Finn nearly fell against the opposite wall if he hadn't grabbed on to one of the pipes attached to the wall. He was able to see the missile through the window and is it flew past and barely missed hitting them.

"Uh, there's another one!" Erik shouted.

The group looked out the windows on the other side and saw there was a second gunship flying towards them. Another missile was shot from it and made its way towards the VTOL, which Mike was able to dodge again with the help of the original pilot. Finn's stared in shock, however, when the first gunship fired another missile at the same time and was heading straight towards them, leaving no time to react before it struck the tail end of the VTOL.

The blast blew open one of the doors and Phoebe was sent flying towards it. Finn was quick enough to grab her hand as she hung out the door of the spinning VTOL as he held on to a pipe.

"Hang on!" he shouted.

Phoebe extended her free hand as she attempted to grab the edge of the doorway but couldn't reach it. Finn moved his feet to a better position and began to pull her in, but he was pushed further out when the pipe he held was beginning to break. Just before he could react, the pipe broke and the two of them shouted as they fell out of the VTOL and down towards the ground.

Finn wrapped himself around Phoebe just before they landed on top of one of the dunes, which cushioned most of the blow but Finn still landed hard on his side. The two of them were separated and began rolling down the dune until they hit level ground, coughing out the sand that had gotten in their mouths. They looked up and saw the VTOL still spinning out of control in the air as it began losing altitude.

The VTOL managed to keep going for some distance before the only trace of it was the smoke over the dunes before there was loud crashing noise in the distance. The two gunships that had destroyed began descending towards the ground where it crashed, eventually disappearing behind the dunes as well. Finn was about to start running towards them but felt a sharp shoot across his side, causing him to wince and fall on his knees.

"You hurt yourself badly during the fall." Phoebe said as she knelt beside him.

"I'm fine. Let's get to the VTOL." he replied.

Finn grunted as he got up and began walking up the dune again. From the top he could see a large smoke cloud rising from where the VTOL landed. Shortly after, he saw the two gunships that had shot it down begin to ascend from the ground near it and began flying off, eventually going out of sight. Finn put on his helmet and spoke through the radio.

"Erik, Sasha, are you there?" there was nothing but static. "Mike?!" still no answer.

He took off his helmet again and grunted in annoyance, which caused his side to hurt again.

"You should stay here while I check out the crash." Phoebe said.

"I've fought through worse. Let's go."

Finn began going down the dune before Phoebe had the chance to argue further. It took several minutes, but they were able to reach the crashed VTOL, which was bent in such a way that made Finn worried if anyone had survived. He checked the back of the aircraft first while Phoebe checked the front. Neither Erik nor Sasha were there, though Finn didn't know to take that as a good sign or a bad sign.

"Finn?!" Phoebe shouted.

Finn ran as fast as the pain would let him to the front of the VTOL. Mike was missing from the seat, but the pilot was still there, barely breathing as a sharp piece of metal stuck out of his chest.

"You guys…" he began to cough and some blood dripped on his lips. "You guys made it."

"Where are the others?" Finn asked as he knelt closer to him.

"The gunships… they took them after we crashed. They didn't have enough time to fight back before they were overwhelmed. They left me behind… on account of my state."

"Alright, just hold on. I'm gonna get you out of there somehow." Finn said.

"It's too late for me, kid. Just go…"

"Phoebe help me with this." Finn said as he began to pull on the cockpit's window frame.

"Finn…" Phoebe said.

"Come on, we can get him lose and patch him up!"

"Finn, he's gone."

Finn looked back at the pilot to find him completely limb with his eyes still open. Finn sighed as he leaned his head against the VTOL and punched its side in frustration, making him wince again from the effort. He knelt back down next to the pilot and closed his eyes. Phoebe knelt next to him and the two remained quiet as they thought of what to do next.

"He said the others were taken by the Syndicate. It's possible they were taken to the hideout they have out here. We should try and find it." Finn suggested.

"And how do we do that? We're in the middle of the desert, we have no way of contacting Olympia, and we can only travel on foot with limited supplies." Phoebe said.

Finn rested his head against his arm.

"I know… but we gotta try something. Our best bet would be to travel in the same direction the gunships went. Even if we don't find our friends, we can at least find _some_ sort of settlement out here."

Phoebe could tell Finn was extremely frustrated. But he was right; they didn't have many options at this point.

"Let's at least check the wreckage for anything useful." she said.

Finn didn't respond as he got up and instantly went inside the VTOL. The two of them found it difficult to search when the aircraft was still releasing a large cloud of smoke, but their helmets made it easier to breathe through it. They were able to find a small supply box in the back of the aircraft, which contained four small bottles of water, one medical kit, and a flare gun with only three flares. They put all of the items inside a small bag that they found and went outside.

"Well, here we go." Finn said as he and Phoebe began walking.

(DAY 1)

It had been only a few hours since Finn and Phoebe began their journey and the two were drenched in sweat from the heat of the sun. Finn didn't find the sweating too annoying, but Phoebe still wasn't used to it. The sand dunes had also gotten bigger, going as tall as small mountains. The two of them were able to catch a few breaks from the sun by sitting underneath dunes casting shadows, trying to drink as little water as possible.

When the sun was at its highest point, the journey only got more frustrating and the need for water grew with every dune they cleared, which took longer than normal from their size. Phoebe was the thirstier of the two, despite never needing to drink water for her whole life; the feeling of her throat being dry irritated her beyond measure. Finn on the other hand was fairing a bit better, despite never passing through many deserts in his adventuring career. The pain that sometimes started on his side was an annoyance but he tried his best to hide it from Phoebe, even though she clearly noticed.

The sun was beginning to set and the heat had gotten more bearable, but it was still there. The sky began to turn orange as the sun began hiding behind the dunes, sending a large spike of relief when the air began getting cooler. Once it had gone completely, however, they both began to shiver from how cold the temperature had suddenly gotten. Each time one of them tried to speak, they struggled to say a full sentence clearly.

"H-how the c-crud does something t-that's always so h-hot d-during the day become s-so cold at n-night?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't k-know." Finn replied.

The two of them stopped when they were able to find a big enough rock to sleep under. The rock had an overlaying ark, so they would be mostly protected from the wind and from the rays of the morning sun. The two of them kept shivering and rubbing their arms as they tried to get warm, unfortunately having no resources to start a fire. The two of them were finally able to get a bit warmer, even though the howling wind still managed to reach them from time to time.

They both laid under the rock for a while as they looked around for anything that might be of interest, but there was only more sand in one direction and more sand in the other. The stars could be seen clearly across the sky, being the only source of light aside from the moon.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to read stars, would you?" Phoebe asked.

"Uh… no. Whenever Jake and I got lost he would just stretch out as high as he could to find the way to go. But even if he was here, I highly doubt he'd be able to find anything even if he stretched. I've been to dry deserts, but never sandy ones like this." Finn remained quiet for a bit then sighed. "I sure hope he's alright… wherever he is."

Phoebe didn't respond, instead just began rummaging through their supply bag. She pulled out the water bottle that they had been drinking for the day, which was now empty.

"Only one day and we've emptied one bottle. We have to be more careful." she said.

"It's so weird seeing you drink water."

"I hate it. Or do I love it? I just find it weird as well."

Finn chuckled and winced as he grabbed his side again. Phoebe shifted herself so she was kneeling next to him.

"Let me see." she said.

"What?" Finn asked trying to sound confused.

"You've been dealing with pain ever since we fell from the VTOL. Take off your armor so I can take a look."

"But I'm fine, re-"

"Now."

Finn tried to argue further but Phoebe just kept insisting. Having no other option, he stood up and took off his armor. Once he sat back down he lifted up his shirt to expose the area that hurt, revealing a large bruise on the entire side of his torso.

"Finn, this is really bad! You might have broken a few ribs." Phoebe said.

"I've broken ribs before and I can deal with the pain. Trust me, you're getting worked up over something that's not even fatal."

Phoebe simply sighed and went back to sitting down normally. She was worried about him, especially since she was the reason he got hurt when he tried protecting her during the fall. She appreciated the gesture, but she found it stupid at the same time.

"At least try to not make too much force." she said.

"I won't. Now let's get some sleep. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow, and possibly another few days."

Finn laid on his good side and rested his head against his hand as he tried drifting off to sleep. Meanwhile, Phoebe stayed up longer as she waited for her eyes to tire out more. While she waited, she decided to remove her armor to remain more comfortable, while also once again admiring the red gem that was still wrapped around her neck.

(DAY 2)

The two of them continued their journey as soon as the sun began rising. Its rays still barely illuminated the horizon, leaving them with at least an hour of cool air before everything began getting hot again. The pain on Finn's side was still there, but it was a bit less painful than the day prior. They were able to cover plenty of ground in a short amount of time before the sun rose, leaving them without needing much water until later.

Most of the morning went on the same as the day before. Nothing but walking across the never ending fields of sand as they were assaulted by the heat of the sun. Their suits helped in protecting them from the rays but it didn't help alleviate the heat. There were some times when they would slip on the edges of the dunes as they climbed them before being able to regain their footing. Finn tried to shoot his grappling hook from the bottom of a dune to its very top but it didn't hook up to anything; not that either of them expected it to.

They were a lot more conservative with their water this time, leaving them with a bot left in the bottle by the time night fell again. It wasn't as cold as the night before, so they were able to rest easily without needing to find any sort of shelter or having to build a fire.

"It's times like these where I miss being made of fire." Phoebe commented.

Finn chuckled and that was when he noticed her moving around the necklace in her hands.

"You still have it?" he asked.

"The necklace? Of course. It's the only thing they didn't take from me."

"I thought you would've gotten rid of it."

Phoebe widened her eyes and stared at him in disbelief.

"What? Why would I ever do that? I love it."

Finn only half smiled at her before he laid himself facing away from her on the ground. She did the same and the two slept for another night.

(DAY 4)

Phoebe's stomach began to rumble as they both walked through even more scorched lands. The sun was somehow even hotter than before, adding to the discomfort.

"I like the water, but it doesn't exactly cure hunger." she said.

"I know. I'm hungry too, but there wasn't anything to eat at the VTOL and there isn't a single scrap of anything out here." Finn replied.

Phoebe just grunted in annoyance as they kept walking.

(DAY 6)

The only remains of water the two had was a quarter inch of the last bottle. They both tried so hard to drink as little of it as possible but every time their lips touched the water they couldn't help but to continue drinking from it. Midday had arrived and the water was down to its very last portion.

"There's barely enough in her for a single sip." Finn said as he waved the bottle in front of his face.

"You should drink it. I think I can go on a bit more without it." Phoebe said.

"I can go a lot longer without water than you, but you're just now getting used to it so you'll get thirsty quicker, so drink."

"But Finn…"

"Drink."

Phoebe was still hesitant but she could tell there was no talking him out of it. She took the bottle and swallowed the last drops of water left in it, taking away the last of their water supply.

"I hope we can find some more soon." Phoebe said.

(DAY 7)

Finn and Phoebe continued their normal routine across the desert as their stomachs growled loudly from the lack of food. The added thirst only made the experience worse, especially with the occasional wind that made them cough from the sand that got blown in their faces when they removed their armor.

"I'm really hungry." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, me too." Finn replied.

"How's your wound doing?"

Finn knew she was referring to the bruise on his side and gripped it.

"It hurts a lot less, but it's still there. I'll be fine though."

Phoebe looked around in every direction and then back to Finn.

"Do you even know where we're still going?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"'What do I mean?' Wasn't our original goal to go in the same direction as the gunships?"

"I think we're going in the right direction, but it's very hard to tell out here… Don't look at me like that, I've never tracked something across a desert before."

Phoebe just scoffed in annoyance.

The two of them continued walking for two more hours before Finn was able to catch a glimpse of something in the distance. At first glance it appeared like a black dot, but as he focused his vision and blocked his eyes from the sun the object came into clear view.

"Is that a well?" he asked.

Phoebe looked in the same direction as him and studied the object.

"It looks like it. There could be more water." she said.

Neither of them had to say anything else before they made their way towards the well. It was in rough shape as the most of the bricks had fallen off and there was no rope or bucket to lower into it. Finn peeked his head in from the top but the inside was too dark to see anything. He tried turning on his night vision but the rays of the sun made it even worse.

"I can't tell if there's water or not. Wait here." he said.

Right before Phoebe could respond, he jumped into the well and fell into the darkness, out of sight from Phoebe. She heard a loud thud and the sound of Finn grunting and immediately sighed as she knew what it meant.

"No water?!" she asked and her voiced echoed.

"Nope! The entire thing is dry!" Finn replied and his voice echoed as well. "Wait… I think I see something down here-OH GLOB!"

Phoebe heard sounds of Finn struggling and a sword being unsheathed but they were over in a matter of seconds.

"Finn?!"

No response came for a few seconds before Finn's grappling hook attached to the remaining sturdy wall of the well. He grunted as he pulled himself up from the well and threw something against the sand. Phoebe offered him a hand and completely pulled him out.

"What happened down there? What was that?" Phoebe asked.

Finn simply walked over to the dropped object and picked it up. Phoebe stuck her tongue out in disgust when she saw it was a snake with its head cut off. The entire thing long enough to reach Finn's knees even when he held it slightly over his head.

"Ugh, a snake?" she asked.

"Yeah. Little guy was just resting down there and tried to bite me, but the armor didn't allow him to. Anyway, I was thinking that maybe…" Finn trailed off.

"What?" Phoebe asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

"You're not gonna like this."

"Just say it."

Finn looked at the snake one more time then back to Phoebe.

"We could… eat it." he said.

Phoebe groaned and turned away from him.

"You can go ahead and eat it, but there's no way I'm letting a snake anywhere near my mouth." she said.

"I didn't know snakes scared you."

"They don't! But insisting to eat one would gross anyone out."

"Phoebe, I hate this just as much as you do, but we can't go without food for much longer. We have to eat _something_."

Phoebe continued to ignore him, but as if timing couldn't be worse, her stomach began rumbling. She looked back at Finn and saw that he had vertically stabbed the snake through his sword.

"Just think of it as a kabob. Everybody likes kabobs." Finn said.

"What if it's venomous?"

"It's not a rattlesnake or a cobra. Plus, isn't the venom located in the head? Which I cut off. So it think we'll be fine."

She looked away then back at him a few times before eventually turning to face him completely and rubbing her face with her palm.

"Fine. But _you_ bite it first." she said.

"Fair enough. Okay…"

Finn held the sword from both ends so that the snake was facing sideways. He held it closer to his nose and sniffed it, immediately going back as he got a sense of its smell. He raised the sword up to his face and opened his mouth, closing it once the snake was between his teeth and he sunk them into it. After squeezing enough so that a piece was ready to snap, he pulled on it and got it into his mouth and began to chew.

Phoebe watched in disgust as he chewed the piece of the snake slowly while keeping his eyes closed. After a few minutes passed, he finally swallowed the piece and then shuddered before opening his eyes. He forced a smile and then cleaned his lips with his arm.

"You know… it's really not that bad. Now you try." he said as he extended the sword to Phoebe.

The girl was hesitant to take the sword at first but eventually grabbed it in the same manner that Finn had. She stared at it for what felt like forever before taking a deep breath and biting into it.

She went through the same process as Finn, but it was clear it was much harder for her than it was for him. She looked like she was on the verge of throwing up every few seconds but never did. After minutes of constant biting, she was also able to swallow the piece, shuddering as she did.

"Ugh, I'm gonna kill you if we end up surviving this." she said.

The two of them continued exchanging bites with the snake. After nearly a half-hour of constant torture, they were able to eat most of the snake and quench most of their hunger. Finn disposed of the remains of the snake then cleaned his sword.

"Well, that was certainly something." he said.

"You will never breathe a word of this to anyone. Understand?" Phoebe said, putting on the most menacing stare she could.

"Okay, I won't. Now let's go."

(DAY 10)

The scorching sun, deep sand, growing thirst and hunger, these were the same everyday routines as Finn and Phoebe walked across the seemingly never ending desert. Finn found himself falling behind when he began feeling dizzy and toppled over several times. Phoebe turned every once in a while to check on the commotion but Finn kept acting like nothing was wrong.

She climbed one of the taller sand dunes where they currently were as she searched for anything in the distance. Just like before, nothing but sand in every direction for as far as she could see.

"You know, I never thought I'd hate sand this much in my life." she said.

She waited for Finn to respond somehow, but instead there was silence. She turned to face him and gasped in fear when she saw he was collapsed face-up at the bottom of the dune. She quickly jumped down and knelt next to him to check if he was still okay. His helmet was off, so she could tell if he was still breathing, which luckily he was.

"Finn. Finn, can you hear me?" she asked.

The only respond was a very low mumble that she couldn't make out as actual words. She tried forcing open his eyelid but she only got a blank lifeless stare and no feedback.

"Don't you dare do this to me now, Finn. You hear me? Don't you dare die on me after all we've been through, you hear?!"

She got up and began pacing from side to side as she tried to come up with a solution. She knew for a fact he was only unconscious, but she couldn't waste time waiting for him to wake up, if he ever would, and there was no water left to help him. So she resolved to the only option she could think of.

She took the backpack that Finn had strapped to his back and emptied it of the medical kit, the flare gun along with the flares, and the empty water bottles. She took out her sword and began cutting the sides of the pack until she was able to fully stretch it open. Then she did the same with the straps until she could extend them as far as she could. Once that was done, she took all of the objects she had emptied and placed them inside the smaller and more confined parts of the backpack until she was able to fit all of them inside again.

After all was done, she went over to Finn and wrapped her arms around his and began pulling his body on top of the pack. She wrapped the straps around his arms so they were supported and then stretched them as far as she could after they were fully around the arms. After she was sure that Finn wouldn't slip, she began pulling the straps and dragged Finn along the ground with the pack. She groaned as she pulled, especially when she was forced to go up certain dunes, but she was able to do it with mostly no problem.

"You own me big time for making me drag you around." she said, even though Finn couldn't hear her.

* * *

Phoebe had been dragging Finn across the desert for hours and the sun was beginning to set over the horizon, making the trip a bit more bearable from the lower temperature. Once she was able to drag Finn to the top of a dune, she fell on her knees from the exhaustion. Her throat was incredibly dry and her hunger was coming back. She was able to catch her breath and crawled over to Finn to check on him. He was still breathing, but still out cold.

She got up from the ground and stretched her limbs after remaining in the same position while dragging Finn. Once she was done, she began to scan the area around her once again, hoping she could find something. Just like always, it all seemed to be just sand.

"I might as well face it. We'll never-"

She stopped when she was able to catch a glimpse of something in the very far distance. It was still a bit blurry but she could make out the outline of the object, which very closely resembled a tree. The rest of the view was blocked by the dunes, so she could only see the top of the tree.

Phoebe didn't know if it was just a mirage or not but she instantly took hold of the straps again and began dragging Finn towards the tree. The view of it was lost when she went down the dune but it came back as she slowly went up the next one. As it got closer and closer, she was more certain that it wasn't a mirage, and she grew even more determined when she saw some smaller trees surrounding the original. Once she reached the top of the final dune she was able to get a full view of what stood below.

An oasis, big enough to hold only a few trees, and a small pond in the very center. She wasted no time admiring the view as she began making her way down. She stood at the very front of one of the trees and placed her hand on it, laughing and sighing in relief that it was all real. She dragged Finn to the center where the shade covered pond was and took a sip of the water, which was warm but it was fresh to drink.

Phoebe could barely sustain herself as she kept drinking but forced herself to stop to help Finn. She pulled Finn off the backpack and pulled out one of the empty bottles and filled it in the pond. Once it was full, she took the water over to Finn and sat beside him, resting his head on top of her leg as she slowly tipped the bottle over his slightly open mouth.

"Please wake up." she said.

Some water landed inside Finn's mouth and it slightly twitched. Phoebe gave him more until eventually he began coughing and his eyes began to flutter open. Phoebe stared at him as she waited for him to open his eyes, and when he did he began to look around groggily.

His vision was a bit blurry but he could still see that there were trees surrounding him, and he instantly recognized Phoebe when he looked up at her.

"Am I in Glob World?" he asked.

"Not yet you're not." Phoebe said as she smiled.

Finn grunted as she helped him get up to a sitting position and handed him the water bottle. His eyes widened when he saw it and snatched it away faster than Phoebe had ever seen him move his arms. He drank the entire bottle in seconds and even continued tilting it to get the very last drop even though it was already empty. He took a deep breath of relief as he finally placed the water bottle on the ground.

"Where did you get more water?" he asked.

Phoebe pointed to the pond located near them. Finn only stood up and ran towards it before completely submerging his face in it. Phoebe simply laughed and went over to drink water as well, though all she did was grab it with her cupped hands. Finn reemerged from the water and breathed another sigh of relief.

"How did we even get here?" he asked as he moved his wet hair away from his face.

"After you passed out I carried you for a while and we managed to come across this place." she replied.

Phoebe continued drinking, but Finn just kept staring at her in disbelief.

"You… you carried me all this way?" he asked.

"Of course. What, did you think I'd leave you behind to die?"

Finn remained quiet for a while, and Phoebe could tell he was trying to come up with the right thing to say.

"I… thank you. I'm grateful." he said.

"Don't mention it. You did the same for me when you rescued me from the Syndicate. It was only right that I returned the favor."

"Still, I do appreciate it."

Finn looked around the oasis for anything else that could prove useful. Unfortunately none of the trees had any sort of fruit, leaving them without anything to eat.

"You know, we've been lucky so far. Maybe we will be able to survive after all." Phoebe said.

Finn didn't respond to her after a while. The sun was nearly fully set, so the air was beginning to get cold again and the trees began rustling.

"Phoebe, listen… there's something I wanted to tell you for a while but… I guess I was too stubborn to admit it."

"Admit what?"

He remained quiet for a few seconds then sighed.

"You leaning the Shadowless Thrust before me, holding your own against the Syndicate, and carrying me through the desert despite the fact that you could've left me behind… I guess what I'm trying to say is that you've become a great fighter and survivor. I mean, you already were, but… even I couldn't pull all of that off."

"Finn, you're just as capable as me to do all of that stuff. Besides, it was because of you that I learned all of it to begin with. I'm not better than you Finn; I'm not better than anyone."

Finn remained quiet for a while as he slightly shifted positions on the ground.

"You're better than most to me." he said.

Phoebe simply smiled at him, and he returned the smile. Once the sun had completely gone down they both began to collect wood from around the oasis. It wasn't much but they were able to start a small fire using rocks to keep themselves warm from the approaching cold. The two of them sat around the fire for some time as they waited to become tired. Finn could tell Phoebe was looking at fire in a strange way, almost as if she was sad. He didn't need to ask why.

"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Finn." Phoebe said.

"Goodnight." Finn replied.

Phoebe laid on her side on the ground facing away from Finn. Finn did the same and laid face-up on the ground, staring at the stars that shined through the rustling tree leaves before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Ooobserver: MGS references are the best references.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Well, I didn't wanna go too overboard with the shark. Even with me, there's a limit.**


	18. Chapter 18: Face to Face

**Chapter 18: Face to Face**

It had now been fourteen days since the VTOL crashed, and Finn and Phoebe were still making their way across the scorching desert. After waking up the next morning in the oasis, the two of them drank as much water as they could from the pond until even their hunger was gone and filled up all of their water bottles. They were mostly hesitant to leave the oasis behind, but Finn knew they had to move on. They found themselves back to their original routine of walking endlessly through the sand covered wasteland. Luckily, they were being a lot conservative with their water, so they still had two full bottles left of it.

The day was still only half done, so the sun was placed directly above their heads. The only good sign that they were making any progress at all was that the dunes were smaller than the ones they've been traveling through for the past two weeks. There were also a few birds flying over them in circles, but it only made them uncomfortable since they were only waiting for them to collapse on the ground.

Finn climbed one of the few tall dunes in the area to get a full view of their surroundings as Phoebe followed behind him. Once Finn made it to the top and caught his breath, he looked around; though not for long as he immediately laid eyes on something in the distance.

"Phoebe, get up here, quick!" he shouted.

Phoebe picked up the pace as she jogged up the dune, slipping a few times before finally making it up to Finn. Rather than look at her, he just kept staring ahead at the horizon.

"What is it? What did you…?" she stopped when she also saw what he had found.

A few miles away, sitting in the middle of the desert, was a town. It was hard to tell if there was anyone in it from the distance, but it was there.

"That… that's…" Finn tried to speak.

"Civilization." Phoebe finished for him.

They both looked at each other before they began climbing down the dune and made their way towards the settlement. They were both jogging now rather than walking, and their speed only picked up the closer they got to it.

They were only one dune away from coming into clear view of the settlement, and they wasted no time climbing over it to get to the top. Once they both reached the top of the dune they had a full view, but any inch of hope they had dropped tremendously at the sight.

The buildings were all crumbling, just like the walls that surrounded the town as a whole. There was no hint of movement anywhere near the front gate, which seemed to be the only thing still fully intact. All of the streets were covered with dust and the wind was blowing tumbleweeds across them while also opening and closing the loose windows and doors. Finn rested his hands on his knees and grunted loudly.

"Globdammit. It's a ghost town." he said.

"Well, it's better than nothing. We should find a way inside and see if we can find something useful." Phoebe said.

Finn didn't respond and just sighed as he began climbing down the dune. Phoebe followed closely behind while trying not slip and roll down. Once they were both level with the ground, they began walking towards the front gate. From up close, the town's wall easily reached a height of thirty feet despite how crumbly most of them were. The gate was as tall as the walls and was still sturdy enough to keep anyone from entering.

"What do you think? Should we cut the gate open?" Phoebe asked.

"We could… but let's just go over." Finn replied.

He pointed his grappling hook towards the less crumbling looking part of the wall and shot it at the ledge. He pulled himself up and was able to land on the other side of the wall and into the town, with Phoebe landing behind him shortly after.

There wasn't anything that seemed of use inside the town. The area on the other side of the gate was a short road that lead to the town square. The only structures of any interest were a fountain located in the center and a well, but neither of them had any water. There were multiple streets to take from there but they went through the one with the least amount of rubble, which appeared to have been some sort of market.

The whole street had a roof over it, making it look like the inside of a building. There were empty stands on both sides that still held some of their trinkets like dolls or pots. Phoebe was startled when one of the pots fell on its own, but it turned out to be a lizard, which instantly ran across the street and hid out of sight in another stall.

"I don't think we're gonna find much here." Finn said.

"No kidding. This place looks like it's been abandoned for decades if not centuries." Phoebe replied.

"Well, that's what happens when you decide to set up shop in the middle of a desert. I wonder where they got their water from."

The end of the street was blocked when the roof that covered it had collapsed and it was covered with rubble. Finn looked at the pile trying to search for a way past and found a small gap near the wall.

"We can go through there." he said.

"Aw man." Phoebe said.

Finn peeked in through the gap and saw that it led to another open area. He stepped in sideways and began to squeeze his way through to the other side, stopping halfway to see Phoebe still standing outside.

"Are you coming? Oh, right." he said, realizing why.

"No, no, it's fine. I can do this."

She stepped in slowly and followed behind him. She kept her eyes closed the whole way and walked by feeling the wall and rubble and that stood on both sides. Finn extended his arm back and grabbed hers, leading her to the other side as she breathed deeply through her nose. After only a few seconds, Finn was able to lead her outside the gap and into the open space, where she reopened her eyes and sighed in relief.

"There you go." Finn said.

The street that they now found themselves in was more open and the sun shined clearly on it. There were no more stalls around, only normal houses that were either crumbled or close to crumbling. Phoebe heard something move inside one of the buildings but didn't see anything through the windows. She assumed it was just another lizard.

Further down the street they saw a bird standing in the middle of the street, eating something off of the ground that neither Finn nor Phoebe could make out. The bird ripped a piece of whatever it was eating and swallowed it, cawing once it swallowed the peace. Finn scared the bird away and it flew away over the buildings and out of sight. Afterwards, they were able to see what it was eating.

It appeared to be a horse, or at least what was left of it. The torso and legs were gone, leaving only its head and part of its neck. One of the eyes was missing and the gashes from the bites of the bird were present all along the neck. Phoebe covered her mouth and gagged at the sight.

"I didn't know a bird could do this." she said.

Finn knelt down and studied the head for a few seconds.

"I don't think it was the bird." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"It looks fresh. Unless you know a bird that can eat an entire horse body before it rots, I'd say this was done by someone else."

"Who?"

Right before Finn could answer, the doors and windows of the buildings on both sides of the streets opened and Syndicate robots jumped out at them with their swords raised.

"WATCH OUT!" Finn yelled.

He got up and pushed Phoebe out of the way as their blades landed on the ground where she stood. They both got up, put on their helmets, and unsheathed their swords to face the group of six robots, who also took battle stances and waited to attack.

"Syndicate robots? What are they doing here?" Phoebe asked.

The robot group charged them and they were forced to jump out of the way of their slices. Finn was able to cut off the arm of one of them as he rolled, leaving it without its weapon. He jumped back towards it and stabbed it through the head before it had a chance to grab a sword with the other hand. Phoebe was also able to take out another one by grabbing it and placing it in front of her as a shield as it was stabbed by another of its comrades. She pushed the dead one out of the way and used her own sword to slash the other in half across the torso.

The other three robots charged them from the front, right, and left. Finn grabbed a piece of wood off the ground and was able to use it as a shield to block the attack from the one on the right while using his sword to take out the one coming from the front. Phoebe was able to take out her robot with ease and immediately threw her sword at the robot that destroyed the wooden plank Finn had picked up.

Once all of them were dead, Phoebe picked up her sword and Finn wiped off all of the wooden pieces that had landed on his armor.

"They set a trap for us." Finn said.

"Not a very good one. But what-"

Phoebe was interrupted when the sound helicopter blades could be heard in the distance. The noise kept getting closer until the wind from the blades hit the street from above as the aircraft flew overhead. It was one of the same gunships that destroyed the VTOL and kidnapped the other Sentinels, now hovering above the street with its guns aimed right at the duo.

"Run!" Finn yelled.

The gunship then began to rain bullets down on the road as they ran away from it. Any windows, walls, or doors that were left of any of the buildings around them were being decimated in matter of seconds. When they reached the end of the street, they each turned in opposite directions in different alleyways, barely missing the bullets that scrapped past them through the rundown buildings.

The gunship turned towards Finn direction, but he was hidden from sight by the tarps that covered the alley across the buildings. That still didn't stop the gunship from shooting once more, however, and he was forced to keep running. He took a hard left and went into a doorway and made his way upstairs in one of the buildings, making it to the roof and seeing the gunship continuing its run down the same alleyway where he was.

To his misfortune, the gunship was able to notice him and turned his way. As bullets began to fly towards him, he began running from roof to roof as he jumped over each gap in between them. As he ran, he was able to notice Phoebe running in the same direction as him on the streets below, every once in a while looking up at him.

Finn jumped off the roof and hooked on to the side of another as he swung towards the ground, barely missing getting shot as the bullets kept raining down upon them. Several tarps over the streets kept them hidden, but that didn't stop the gunship from gunning down the street in their direction in an attempt to kill them.

Both of them began running as fast as they could away from the approaching aircraft, but there wasn't much hope for losing it any time soon.

"Got any ideas?!" Phoebe asked.

"I'm working on it!" Finn replied.

Finn looked around at the surroundings to try and find some solution. Only one could come to mind besides attempting to fight the gunship head on.

"We might need to split up." he said

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"If we go in different directions we have a better chance of escape." Finn replied.

Phoebe looked back towards the approaching storm of bullets and nodded. She made a hard left and went down an alleyway, while Finn turned right and went down another as the gunship continued its run down the street instead.

' _It worked. It doesn't know where we are.'_ he thought.

Finn made another sharp turn through the doorway of another building. Making his way up the staircase, he went through the door to the roof and found the gunship was still running along the same street, though it had stopped firing. He was also able to notice Phoebe had went to the roof a building as well not too far from him and he began running towards her.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked as he reached her.

"Yeah. It doesn't know where we are yet. Get inside." Finn replied.

The two of them went through the roof's open doorway and hid from the gunship's view.

They stood on both sides of the doorway until they waited for the sounds of the gunship's blades to fade, but instead it continued to get closer to them. Finn hoped to stay hidden until the ship was far gone, but he quickly had a change of plans and readied his grappling hook.

"What are you doing? We'll be spotted." Phoebe said.

Finn leaned in close enough for her to hear over the sound of the blades.

"When it flies over us, we'll run outside and grapple ourselves underneath to it without drawing its attention." he said.

"What?! Why?"

"It's gonna take us straight to where they're posted. It might be the best chance we have, and we can't keep up with it on foot."

"Finn, this is-"

"Go!" Finn yelled and instantly ran outside.

Phoebe grunted in annoyance as she ran after him. Finn aimed his arm upward just as the gunship passed by and impaled the hook to the bottom. Phoebe did the same thing and they both pulled themselves towards it and hung from underneath. The gunship remained on its normal course, making them breathe a sigh of relief that they weren't spotted.

The flight only lasted a few minutes given that the town wasn't too big to traverse easily through the air. Finn and Phoebe both unhooked themselves from the gunship as soon when they came close to the destination, landing on top of a building rooftop high enough to overlook the area.

It was clear they were in Syndicate territory. The building where the gunship landed was far different from any of the others in the city. It was still a bot crumbling in some places, but it was supported by metal pillars that the Syndicate had placed. There was the main building, which was square in shape with a round tower next to it, and the courtyard behind it, filled to the brim with robots working on their vehicles. There were searchlights placed along the roof but they weren't turned on since it was daylight.

"I think we just found their base." Phoebe said.

"One of them anyway." Finn replied.

They both stopped their peeking and sat down with their backs against the high ledge of their rooftop.

"I'm guessing if we're gonna have any chance of getting back to Olympia we have to go in there." Phoebe said.

"Yeah. Although, there's no telling where we'll go from there. I don't know how to fly one of their gunships."

"We'll see where we go from there. If we can at least get our hands on a radio…"

Finn peeked his head over the ledge again to scout the base. There were only robots in the courtyard, so there was no way of being sure if there were any humans inside. He looked along the outer wall for any sort of weakness but they had been reinforced and had no cracks to slip through. Phoebe tapped him on the shoulder, which was when he realized that she was scouting as well.

"Over there." she said while pointing.

Finn looked in the same direction and saw that there was a manhole located in the center of the street beside the building's main gate.

"Do you think it could somehow lead inside?" she asked.

"Maybe…"

They both turned their attention to the courtyard, where the sound of running engines and the blades of the gunship filling the air. The gunship took off and they were able to barely miss being spotted when they went back in hiding. Once the gunship flew past, they looked over and saw that the robots had inside some pick-up trucks that were parked in the courtyard, each with a gun attached to the back manned by one of them. Each truck began moving and they went through the small gate in the back of the courtyard, using the roads to go in the same direction that the gunship went just a few seconds prior.

"They must be going to search for us." Finn said.

"Well, better get going now while there's less of them inside." Phoebe said before jumping off the roof.

"Phoebe!" Finn shouted in a whisper.

She landed firmly on the ground, making sure she hadn't been spotted by any of the sentries before she ran across the street as fast as she could. The manhole cover was slightly loose, so she could easily take it off with ease and make it inside.

Finn was still standing on top of the rooftop, a bit annoyed at Phoebe's actions but at the same time genuinely impressed. He took a deep breath and repeated the same process as her. He was forced to hide when a sentry appeared on the roof and scanned his area, but it luckily moved away shortly. Finn kept moving until eventually reaching the manhole and closing the lid behind him as he fell.

The fall wasn't very big, but he was splashed with water when he landed on the ground. The tunnel was very dark, leaving him with little to no sight of anything until he turned on his night vision. He groaned in disgust and saw Phoebe waiting for him on the outside the stream of water.

"Took you long enough." she said with a smirk on her face.

"Very funny… Ugh, the first place we find with water in days and it smells like sh-"

"SHHHH!" Phoebe said as she crouched.

Finn moved out of the water and crouched next to her. There was a searchlight getting closer from a corridor to the right ahead of them. Phoebe grabbed Finn and pulled him into a closed doorway on the wall and peeked around the corner as they waited for whatever was making the light to pass by. From the corner of their eyes it came into view.

It was a little black sphere, no bigger than your average basketball, and it was hovering using a small jet underneath it. There was a small white eye on it that also acted as a flashlight, and it moved along with it as it looked in both directions. Finn and Phoebe both stopped peeking and pressed their bodies against the wall again as the light shined in their direction. Luckily, it turned in the opposite direction and began to move away from them. Once out of sight, they came out of the doorway.

"So much for a safe entrance." Phoebe said.

"It's better than the direct route. Let's just see if this leads us inside." Finn replied.

They decided to go towards the tunnel on the right, the same direction that the sphere originally came from. It was incredibly dark even with night vision on, making difficult to tell if there was anything more than five feet in front of them.

There was a choice of three directions to go next. The chose to go left, staying on the trail leading towards the fortress. They found a ladder on one of the walls that led back up, though there was a lack of sunlight to shine through.

"Maybe this leads in." Finn said.

He was the first to go up the ladder, opening the manhole lid slowly and quietly. The area above was a stone hallway lit only by a few low powered lamps. There were cells running all along the sides, even though it bared the look of a cistern rather than a prison. Once Finn made sure it was safe, he removed the entire manhole cover and climbed up.

"Finn?" a voice asked.

Finn turned around to one of the cells and a shadowy figure dressed in rags stood up from the corner. He made his way towards the bars and leaned against them, giving Finn a full view of his face.

"Erik?" Finn asked.

"It's... it's actually you." he replied, surprise filling both their faces.

"Wait, what? Finn?" another voice asked; female.

Finn turned to the cell next to Erik's and Sasha also leaned in against the bars.

"Sasha, you too?" Finn asked.

"And Mike." she replied.

After the former was mentioned, he leaned in against the bars of the cell on the far side of Sasha's.

"Well, if it isn't the newb. Still alive and kicking, I see." Mike said.

Finn raised himself completely from the manhole and removed his helmet.

"I thought you guys would've been dead by now." he said.

"What's going on up here?" Phoebe asked as she climbed up the manhole.

"Oh, _now_ it's a reunion!" Erik said.

"Wha- Guys?!" Phoebe asked, surprised. She fully lifted herself up and removed her helmet as well. "You're still alive!"

"Barely." Sasha said.

Finn took a closer look at the three of them through the bars. Their power armor had been taken away and were all forced to used dirty rags. They're faces were slightly bruised and they had cuts on their arms and legs, plus a few burns on Mike's.

"Geez, what did they do to you?" Finn asked.

"They've been keeping us locked down here for the past two weeks." Erik said. "Every few hours they would come down here and start torturing us in different ways, trying to get us to blurt out information. But none of us have broken just yet."

"Those bastards." Phoebe said, getting enraged.

"Have you seen anyone else besides the robots?" Finn asked.

"Not really." Sasha replied.

"Look, I hate to break this lovely reunion, but could you mind getting us out of here before they come back?" Mike said.

"It's a shame they couldn't beat some niceness into you, Mike." Finn said, making Mike just grumble in annoyance.

Finn and Phoebe took out their blades and slashed apart the bars. Erik laughed and patted Finn on the shoulder when he came out while Sasha did the same with Phoebe. Mike on the other hand, didn't say a word and simply began walking down the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Finn asked.

"These Syndicate bastards took our gear. I'm gonna go get it back." Mike replied.

"You don't expect us to be able to fight in our current condition, do you?" Erik asked.

"We actually don't have much choice." Sasha said. "Gear or no gear, there's only one way to we'll be able to contact Olympia, and that's through the communications tower."

No one said anything as they pondered the situation. Finn raised his blade in front of him and spun it around once before turning to Sasha.

"Do you think you can work their radios?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, if we can get to the tower that is." she replied.

Finn glanced back at the rest of the group, who were waiting for his response.

"Well, we're not gonna get much done down here. Let's go." he said.

Phoebe nodded and the two of them put their helmets back on.

"Stay behind us for now." Phoebe told the unarmed Sentinels.

The five of them began making their way across the corridor until reaching a locked steel door at the very end. Phoebe was about to open it but Finn stopped her, pointing towards the bottom where the light coming from the gap showed to thin shadows, indicating someone was guarding the other side. Finn raised his sword and pointed it towards the center of the door in between the two shadows and thrusted it forwards, impaling it through the steel and stabbing whatever was on the other side.

When Finn retracted his sword the two shadows were now replaced by a large one that covered the light source and oil began leaking underneath it. Finn then turned the knob and began pushing the door, which was being held back by the robot corpse now lying on the ground. Once it was open enough for them to fit, they went though and managed to come across a flight of stairs.

They took the stairs up until they reached the highest floor. The hallway on the other side of the doorway was being patrolled by two robots walking back and forth. Finn stopped peeking his head through when they turned their way and slowly closed the door.

"How's it looking?" Phoebe asked.

"There's two of them." he replied.

"So? You can take 'em." Erik said.

"Not unless we wanna alert the entire place of our presence." Sasha said.

Metallic footsteps began to get closer to the door. Finn readied his sword and waited for them to open it from the other side. The footsteps became silent right on the other side and the shadows could be seen through the small gap underneath the door, remaining still and making no more moves. Finn raised his word in the air and prepared to bring it down, but instead the shadows went towards the right and disappeared from the door.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Finn lowered his sword. He leaned in closer to the door and could hear no more footsteps on the other side. He stood away from the door and faced the group.

"I think they're gone. Now's our-"

Right before he could finish, a robotic hand broke through the door and wrapped itself around Finn's neck. No one could react fast enough as he was pulled through with great force, breaking the door apart in the process. Finn was thrown against the ground and the first thing he saw was a sword being brought down towards his head.

He moved his head to the side and the sword got impaled on the ground instead. Finn still had his word in hand, which he quickly brought up and slashed his attacker in half. Oil was splattered all over him and distorted the view from his helmet. He took it off and quickly got up from the ground to face the hall, where a gunner was aiming its gun at him and was preparing to fire. It opened fire and the bullets went straight towards Finn.

Before anyone else had time to react, Finn raised his sword with lighting quick reflexes and swung it in midair in a diagonal form. Everyone, even the robot was left dumbfounded when the bullet never reached him, despite it being a clear shot. Before the robot had time to shoot again, Finn threw his sword towards it and impaled it across the torso, bringing it down for good.

Finn stayed crouched on the ground after the throw with his arm still extended, taking deep breaths. Everyone else was still staring at him, confused as to what just transpired. The first to fall out of her trance and walk towards Finn was Phoebe. She knelt right next to him as Finn slowly began to lower his arm towards the ground.

"Finn, are you alright?" she asked.

Finn was then knocked out of his own trance and turned to look at her.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." he said.

"Dude, did you just… slice through a bullet?" Erik asked.

Finn got up from the ground and looked back at the group of Sentinels.

"I… I think so." he replied while looking at his hand.

"Whoa! I thought Seph was the only one who could do that. But he uses a robotic arm!" Sasha said.

"Alright, so the newb cut through a bullet. Impressive, but we really need to move. I highly doubt you'd be able to cut through a hundred of them at once." Mike said.

"Right. Let's go, Finn." Phoebe said.

Finn nodded in agreement and picked his sword off of the robot as they walked down the hall. Erik was already far ahead of them, looking through one of the small windows located on each door. Each room appeared to be used for either storage or were just left empty. Erik, however, smiled at whatever was behind the door he stood before.

"Guess what I found." he said.

"Is it boxes again? Cause if they are, I swear…"

"Even better." he replied before Sasha could finish.

He stepped aside and gestured for the rest of the group to look through. The room appeared empty at first, but what caught their attention were the sets of power armor stored in glass tubes along its walls. Finn raised his sword, busted open the lock, and kicked down the door.

The power armor seemed fully intact and each still had their swords stored away along with them. Each tube was opened by a switch located on the opposite side of the hinges, making a hissing noise as they slid open once every switch was pulled. Each Sentinel grabbed their corresponding gear and put it on, with Mike letting out a chuckle as he tested his armor out by punching a hole in the wall.

"Now these guys are gonna pay. Let's get to that tower." he said.

Fully geared and ready, the group began to make their way through the building. There were several close calls as more of the floating spheres passed close by as they patrolled the halls but they were able to sneak past them with no further trouble.

Going up an extra floor, they were able to finally reach the tower's entrance. There was a ladder that led up to the hatch at the very top. As soon as Finn opened the hatch he was met by another Syndicate robot, but Finn was able to take it out before it was able to call for aid. Once that was done, the whole group was now inside the radio room, which was fully surrounded by windows and gave a full view of the courtyard below and most of the city.

The gunship that had attacked them earlier could be seen still flying around but was fortunately still at a far distance from them. Sasha sat down on a chair in front of the control console and began working with the radio.

"This hardware is ancient. We won't be able to contact Olympia by radio, but it think I can send some kind of distress signal." Sasha explained.

"Will they know it's from us?" Finn asked.

"Let's hope so… Aaaaaaaaaand… there. Now we just have to wait and see if they come or not."

"We probably don't have time to wait." Mike said.

Phoebe looked back out the window and noticed the all of the robots in the courtyard were now making their way inside the building. She also noticed the gunship changed its course and was now flying back towards them.

"Uh, Sasha? These things can't tell if we're using their comms, can they?" Phoebe asked.

Sasha turned her head around and opened her mouth to speak, but she remained silent for a few seconds.

"Um… Maybe?" she said, sounding very unsure.

Without any further warning, bullets began to fly in through the window as the gunship managed to get close enough to fire. Everyone dropped down to the ground as all of the windows began to shatter and pieces of glass fell all across the floor. The sound of the gunship's blades could be heard loudly as it flew right past the tower, ending its wave of attack as it began to reposition itself again.

There were sounds of indistinct chatter coming from below the tower's hatch. The robots were beginning to get closer, and the gunship was about to make its second pass. Without a second thought, Finn got up and stood on the frame of one of the broken windows, looking down at the top of one of the high walls that surrounded the buildings courtyard. He looked back at the group as they all joined next to him.

"Jump!" he shouted.

They were barely able to jump in time before the gunship began its second assault on the tower. Finn, Erik, and Mike all landed on top of the stone wall while Phoebe and Sasha each landed on the courtyard below. The gunship had shot one of its missiles at the tower and the entire thing went down in a ball of flames, nearly landing on top of the two female Sentinels as it fell into the courtyard below. The rest of the group faced their own problems as well when a large group of robots came out of one of the lower doors of the destroyed tower and rushed them in a group.

Finn and Mike were able to take out two of them, but Erik was pushed back and was knocked down to the courtyard next to Phoebe and Sasha. Phoebe cut through the robot that had landed on top of Erik and helped him off the ground as Finn and Mike were forced to jump down before being overwhelmed.

The amount of space in the courtyard was little on account of the fallen tower, but it was still enough space to fight off the approaching wave of robots jumping from above and coming out of the building from below.

"There's an entire army of these things!" Erik shouted.

To make their problems even worse, there was not one, but two gunships now flying right above the courtyard. The doors of the newly arrived gunship opened and two figures jumped down as the battalion of robots stopped in front of the Sentinel group with their weapons ready.

One of the new arrivals landed firmly on the ground, swinging around two long chains before wrapping them around both his arms. The second arrival, a woman, never landed on the ground, instead a pair of metallic angel wings extended from her back and she began to glide over the entire group before eventually landing behind them in front of the tower's debris. Each of them had the Syndicate symbol on their shoulders.

"Well, well, what have we here? The finest of Olympia's warriors?" The female said.

"It would seem so." The male said.

"Wait… Thomas?" Mike asked looking at the male then turned to the female. "Angel?"

"Sup, Mike." Thomas said.

"Mike, you know them?" Phoebe asked.

"Unfortunately. We used to train together… before they went rogue." Mike replied.

"I'd like to think of it as a resignation, not going rogue." Angel said.

"Doesn't matter what you call it. You betrayed us!" Mike shouted.

Neither of the Syndicate members said another word. The Sentinel group waited nervously with their swords still raised as they remained trapped in the ring of robots. Thomas unwrapped the chains from his arms and swung them forward, nearly hitting the group as it they passed through the middle of them.

Before the chains fell, Thomas swung them outward and was able to wrap them around Mike and Phoebe, immobilizing them both. Erik was about to cut Mike's chains but Angel came up from behind and kicked him towards the ground. Erik held up his blade to block an attack with her sais, but the sword got stuck in the blades and she was able to yank it off his hand. She threw the sword towards Sasha and the girl was able to dodge it, but she was caught by a group of robots who jumped towards her at once and held her down.

Erik tried to get back up but Angel pinned him down and held up one of her sais to his neck. Finn began to run towards Mike and Phoebe and prepared to slash away their chains.

"Do anything stupid and they all die!" Thomas shouted as he tightened the grip around Mike and Phoebe causing them both to grunt.

Finn stopped his slash midway as he came close to cutting the chains. All of his friends were being held hostage, and retaliating would mean their certain deaths. Finn looked towards Phoebe, pain filling her face as she struggled to stay on her feet. Thomas tightened the chains even more and Mike and Phoebe were both forced to knees on the ground.

"Okay, okay! You win." Finn said as he lowered his sword.

"Good choice." Angel said as a smile grew on her face.

Finn backed away from Mike and Phoebe and stood in the center of the Syndicate group, worry filling Phoebe's face as she feared they would kill him. Rather than doing so, however, they all stood in a ring around him to prevent him from escaping.

"Well, you've got us all trapped. Why not just kill us?" Finn asked.

"You're not dying. Not yet, at least. But try anything, and all of your friends die. Understand?" Thomas said.

"Why not? What do you want from me?!" Finn asked.

All of them looked up at the sky when a third gunship flew in from above. The aircraft hovered right above them and the doors on its side opened. The figure standing on the edge was hard to see, but Finn already knew who it was; there was no mistaking those glowing red eyes. It was Cypher.

Cypher jumped out of the gunship while it was still in the air and landed against the ground below, raising some dust from the impact. He wiped the dust off his shoulder and walked towards Finn.

"Ah, Finn Mertens. Just the man I was looking for." Cypher said.

"Cypher…" Finn said in a growl.

Cypher pulled out his crimson sword and waved it around in front of him. He raised it and began spinning it around slowly in front of his face.

"Let's talk properly this time, shall we? Face to face."

* * *

 **Note: Figured it was time Cypher got the spotlight again.**

 **Fiery Crusader: I'm pretty sure they still fell for a trap.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: Let's hope so.**

 **Ooobserver: It was actually just a normal desert section I thought of, but cool that you got the Uncharted vibe from it.**


	19. Chapter 19: Warrior's Eye

**Chapter 19: Warrior's Eye**

Despite the chance of taking out Cypher presenting itself, Finn kept his sword down at all times. He watched Cypher's movements carefully as he walked from side to side, staring right into Finn's own eyes with his glowing red ones. Finn's grip on his sword tightened the closer Cypher got to him, but for the most part, Cypher only seemed to want to provoke Finn, and Finn would not give him the pleasure of giving into his games.

Everyone else, especially Phoebe, was watching with growing nervousness as they watched Cypher move his blade around him. Cypher finally came to a full stop and ended his blade spinning when he was only inches from Finn's face. Finn was tempted to stab Cypher right then and there, but doing so would result in the death of his friends. So, he resulted to wait.

"I have to say, I was genuinely surprised to find out you were still alive." Cypher said.

"It's gonna take a lot more to kill me. Or perhaps you're just getting rusty." Finn replied.

Cypher narrowed his eyes at him, clearly annoyed at Finn's lack of any sort of fear. He eventually began chuckling, however, and took a few steps back as he raised both his arms in the air.

"You see this?" Cypher asked as he looked towards Thomas and Angel. "This guy… I like this guy. Even in the face of certain death he pretends to not be afraid. Don't you just love it when they play the brave hero, risking his own life for the good of others? I used to be like that as well at some point, believe it or not. Risking my life for others, losing a few friends every so often."

Finn just remained quiet, keeping the same serious face. The only sound that could be heard during the silence was the spinning blades of the gunships hovering at a distance away.

"But then again, you wouldn't know anything about _true_ loss, would you, Finn? The little hero who saves everyone from evil."

"What are you getting at Cypher?" Finn asked.

"Oh, I'm not trying to imply anything. This is just a friendly conversation between two fighters. We both love the thrill of a good fight and the eventual pain that comes with each one. Not to mention all the women craving your attention, am I right?" Cypher winked after the last line.

"No. You and I are nothing alike."

Cypher scoffed then held his blade horizontally in front of his face while running his other hand across it. Red sparks came off of it the further he moved his hand through it.

"I joined the Sentinels because I thought that maybe, just maybe, it could've been my chance to make a name for myself. But they always saw the world a different way than I did and we sorta had our differences. I still made a name for myself… just not in the way I originally planned."

"By killing innocents!" Mike shouted.

"By killing those who were too blind to see the bigger picture." Cypher replied as he raised his sword towards Mike.

"And what is the bigger picture?" Erik asked, struggling to talk from the blade Angel held to his throat.

"Patience. It'll be made clear soon enough. Now… as for you, Finn, I'm going to offer you a chance."

"A chance of what?" Finn asked.

"You are the heir to the throne of Olympia, but nobody else sees it that way. You've spent your whole life serving under people who always thought themselves above you. I'm giving you the chance to take back the life someone who works as hard as you deserves. All you have to do… is join us."

Everyone's eyes widened at Cypher's proposal.

"Don't do it, Finn! Don't listen to him!" Phoebe shouted, but Thomas silenced her by tugging on the chain.

"If you accept this, I can assure you no further harm will come to any of your friends. Who knows, I might even consider letting them join as well if they so wish."

"You think we're gonna join your terrorist group, you traitor!" Sasha yelled.

"You can call me whatever you like. My offer still stands."

Finn looked back at his restrained friends then back at Cypher. Due to his mask, it was hard to tell what kind of face Cypher was making underneath it, but Finn guessed he was smiling. Everyone remained quiet as they waited for his answer for a few deathly silent seconds.

Finn looked at the sword in his hand and tightened his grip around it. He looked back up at Cypher and thought once more about running his blade right through him, but the thought of his friend's lives in danger kept holding him back.

"And what if I refuse?" Finn asked.

"I won't kill your friends, if that's what you're implying." Cypher replied. "Believe it or not, I actually have a sense of honor. This is just a simple business chat between two warriors."

"I'm guessing there's a catch, though."

Cypher's eyes narrowed, but Finn could tell it was because he was smiling even wider now.

"Right you are." Cypher said.

Finn looked back one more time to his friends. He didn't have to think long before coming up with the answer.

"No, Cypher. I won't be a part of your game." Finn said.

"Ah, and that's your final decision?" Cypher asked.

"It is."

Cypher didn't seem the least bothered by Finn's words, although it was also hard to tell if he was. He simply stared at Finn for a while before turning around and taking a few steps away before turning around again.

"Alright then." he said.

Cypher looked at Thomas and nodded his head. Thomas nodded back and he began to pull on Mike's and Phoebe's chains, pulling them away from their position. Once they were moved, Cypher raised his sword and pointed it at Finn.

"You and me. Right here, right now." Cypher said.

Everyone else grew uneasy at Cypher's challenge, but Finn kept his cool and replied.

"You want me to fight you?"

"Yes. I figured I didn't give you much of a fighting chance last time, but now I think you have it in you to put up and actual fight. And it'll be quite amusing for me."

Finn closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose before positioning himself a few feet in front of Cypher. Both fighters raised their swords and took battle stances. All of the robots surrounding them repositioned themselves to make some more space.

"I don't care what your motives are, I'm gonna put you down." Finn said as he put on his helmet.

"Ooo, highly sure of yourself. I like that." Cypher replied.

"Look who's talking."

Cypher chuckled and began to quickly run towards Finn before he had time to even react. Cypher's blade barely missed slashing through Finn's arm as he raised his own blade to block the attack, sending sparks flying around them as they came into contact of each other. After they separated, Cypher swung his sword back and would've hit Finn's head if he hadn't jumped back at the right moment.

Finn swung his blade forward multiple times as he tried hitting Cypher, but he continuously blocked every single blow coming his way. Cypher was able to get both swords to connect to one another and began to hold Finn's back. He swung his foot sideways and knocked Finn towards the ground, quickly raising his sword to stab him while on the ground. Finn was able to roll out of the way as the blade got impaled on the ground and he was able to quick Cypher further away, giving him a chance to get back on his feet.

Cypher jumped in the air and brought his blade down towards Finn again. Finn was able to move out of the way in time to avoid the sword, but Cypher quickly swung his leg upwards and kicked Finn right in the chin and sent him flying backwards towards the wall.

The hit made Finn become disoriented for a few seconds, just barely able to come back to his senses in time to block another attack from Cypher. He was pushed back against the wall from the force of the hit and dropped his sword on the ground. He knelt to pick it up but Cypher stepped on his hand before he was able to reach it and pinned him down.

Finn was barely able to get his hand out in time before Cypher planted his blade against the ground. Finn used the chance to kick Cypher away and was able to grab his sword again in time to block another attack. One of Cypher's swings missed Finn and hit the wall behind him instead, giving Finn the opening necessary to move away from Cypher and stand back in the opening.

While the fight continued, Phoebe was continuously fidgeting around with the chain as she attempted to free herself. Thomas was distracted by watching the fight so he didn't notice that the chain was actually staring to get loose. Once Phoebe was able to move her fingers around and was able to grip her sword, she remained on the ground while waiting for the right time to strike.

Finn and Cypher were still swinging away at each other endlessly, neither of them able to best the other. Their swords came into contact once again and they both remained at a standstill trying to push the other back.

"Now this is fun, wouldn't you say?" Cypher said.

"Shut up. The only reason you're doing this is because you have something to prove, and I don't plan on letting you prove it." Finn replied.

"I understand what you mean. Still, after everything I've done…"

Cypher pushed Finn back and quickly kicked him on his side, where his original wound was. The hit made Finn struggle to stand back up and block Cypher's next attack as his sword slashed right through Finn's helmet, cutting right through his right eye.

Everyone, especially Phoebe, watched in terror as Finn screamed loudly in pain. He took his helmet off and revealed the large stream of blood dripping down from his eye socket, which he covered with his hand as he continued groaning. He was barely able to open his remaining eye to look at Cypher, who was just standing casually looking at his own sword.

"I have nothing left to prove, my friend." he said.

His attention turned to the sound of struggling as Phoebe used her sword to cut through the chain. Thomas was barely able to dodge being hit by her and was able to knock the sword off her hand and punched her towards the ground. He took what was left of the chain and wrapped it around her neck and began to choke her as she tried pulling the chain off.

"Thomas! Manners." Cypher said.

Thomas growled before loosening the grip on the chain, allowing Phoebe to breathe properly again. She was still being held down by her, however, and her sword was out of reach.

"Now, where were we?" Cypher asked as he looked back at Finn.

Finn growled and grinded his teeth as he raised his sword, once again showing his blood dripping eyelid.

"I don't need two eyes to fight!" Finn shouted.

Cypher chuckled and raised his own sword. Finn charged Cypher at full speed and swung his blade sideways along Cypher's legs to attempt to cripple him, but he was able to block the attack and punched Finn across the chin, sending him flying upwards and landing on the ground.

Finn got up and blocked another attack from Cypher as he ran towards him. Finn swept his leg around but Cypher was able to jump over it and placed his blade against Finn's neck, forcing him to a stop.

"Give up and I'll let you live." Cypher said.

Finn pushed his sword away and slashed again, but Cypher went around the blade and then placed his sword against the back of Finn's nape.

"It would be so easy to kill you right now. This isn't even a challenge anymore."

Finn shouted in annoyance at Cypher's mocking as he swung his blade in a circle to try and hit him. Cypher was quick to jump back and planted his feet firmly on the ground, allowing him to boost himself forward in a split second to kick Finn straight in the chest and knocked him straight against the wall, causing it to crack from the impact.

Finn fell on his knees on the ground and groaned. His attempt to get back up failed when his legs weakened and he fell again, wrapping his arm around his stomach and coughing up blood on the ground. Cypher just waited patiently for Finn to get up on his own pace.

"The creatures of Earth must be pretty weak to consider you a hero. Look at yourself; you're pathetic!" Cypher shouted as he walked up to Finn and punched him across the face, knocking him to the ground once more.

"You would let someone like me walk all over you? If you really are the great fighter you think you are then get up. Get up and kill me!"

Cypher extended both his arms in the air as Finn slowly got up from the ground. Finn gripped his sword as hard as he could and screamed in anger as he charged Cypher. All Cypher did was move towards the side and kicked Finn across his own leg. He fell towards the ground once more and was pinned down when Cypher placed his foot against his chest. Finn tried to push Cypher's foot away but couldn't do so, and his blade was too far on the ground for him to reach.

"Such a waste…" Cypher said as he raised his sword.

Finn closed his eyes as he waited for Cypher's blade to pierce his skin. Phoebe tried to free herself once more to run towards him but Thomas held her in place as he punched her. Cypher's sword was now aimed directly over Finn's head and brought it down.

Despite a few seconds passing, Finn never felt Cypher's blade pierce him. Instead, a loud beeping noise filled the air. Finn opened his eyes to look for the source of the noise and found Cypher looking at red blinking watch on his wrist. He sheathed his sword and stopped the watch from beeping before looking back at Finn.

"It appears play time is over." he said. "You'll live… for now."

Cypher removed his foot from Finn's chest and allowed him to move around again. He coughed as he sat up on the ground and placed his hand on his chest. One of the gunships flying overhead began to descend and landed in the courtyard, allowing Cypher to climb inside.

"Thomas, Angel, we're leaving." he said.

Both of them freed the rest of the Sentinels from their grasp and hurried towards the same gunship. The first thing they all did was rush towards Finn to check on him.

"Finn!" Phoebe shouted as she knelt next to him to help him stand up.

The whole group faced the gunship as it began to get up in the air. Cypher peeked his head out and spoke to them.

"Oh, and remember that catch I told you about? You'll find out what it is soon enough. Until then, I'll let Gex keep you entertained."

The door on the gunship closed and it began to fly away until it was fully out of sight. The Sentinels were now left surrounded by the large multitude of robots and the two remaining gunships hovering above them.

"Well, it can't possibly get any worse." Erik said.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake with the sound of thundering footsteps. Before any of them got the chance to react, a large chunk of the fallen tower behind them exploded in chunks of rock, creating a large hole in the center of the debris. Form the newly created entrance came Gex, holding two giant swords in each of his newly hands.

Steam came out of the robot's rear exhaust ports and it raised its swords in the air, hitting them against each other and creating sparks with the big blades. It brought its swords back down on the ground and raised a lot of dust in the air from the impact.

"Oh, you've gotta be joking." Mike said.

Gex raised its right arm in the arm and brought down the sword, barely scrapping by the group below before they dodged, causing it to hit a few of the surrounding robots instead. It then raised its left hand and swung it across sideways. Phoebe pushed Finn to the ground and everyone else fell as well as the large blade passed over them with a loud _whoosh._

Mike, Erik, and Sasha all got up and charged Gex at once. While the giant robot was busy, Phoebe helped Finn off the ground. He grunted as he continued to hold his still bleeding eye.

"Just hang on, Finn. We'll find a way out of here." she said.

Finn was able to stay up by himself when he gently pushed Phoebe away. The blood from his eye had completely covered his hand in red and was dripping down all the way down his cheek and neck. He slightly tripped, but Phoebe held him by the shoulders so he wouldn't fall.

"I'm not… gonna let Cypher get away with this." he said.

While the other Sentinels fought against Gex, all of the other robots in the courtyard were walking towards them with their swords raised.

"Can you still fight?" Phoebe asked.

Finn just nodded as he raised his sword and placed his feet firmly against the ground.

The group of robots dashed forward and began attacking them. Finn was able to hold them off for the most part, but he probably would've gotten hit if Phoebe wasn't helping him; and the fact that he was beginning to get dizzy only made matters worse.

Meanwhile, Mike was able to climb on top of Gex and was attempting to cut away at the neck. Gex was swinging its swords down at Erik and Sasha as the two continued dodging its attacks. Erik had been momentarily stunned, however, when Gex kicked him and sent him hurling towards the wall.

Sasha kept dodging Gex's swords while also checking on Erik, who was struggling to get up from the blow. When he did, he saw a multitude of robots coming his way and were nearly on top of him. If it wasn't for Finn appearing in the nick of time to stop them before they reached him they would've been able to badly wound him.

"You okay?" Finn asked as he extended his arm and helped Erik up.

"Yeah. Though… are you?"

"I'll manage."

Erik pushed Finn towards the side just as another robot was about to hit him from behind. Afterwards, he checked on Mike's and Sasha's progress with Gex, which wasn't going well at all. Mike had been knocked down from Gex's neck by a group of robots and he was pinned while fighting them, leaving Sasha alone with Gex.

Gex raised both swords in the air and swung them both inward in a horizontal angle like a scissor. Sasha ducked underneath the rushing blades but was instantly hit by Gex's leg and was thrown towards the remaining debris of the fallen tower. The impact caused a few chunks of rocks to fall from the top and landed on top of her legs, causing her to scream as she felt their immense weight on top of them.

"Sasha!" Erik shouted.

Phoebe was still around to help Finn fight, so Erik took the chance to run towards Sasha and help her. Mike had finished fighting against the group of robots that had him pinned earlier, allowing him to distract Gex as Erik ran towards Sasha. He got some of the rocks out of the way and knelt next to her.

"Are you badly hurt?" he asked, which at first he thought was a stupid question.

"I… I think my legs are broken." she replied.

Finn and Phoebe were both still fighting off against the robots. Finn was able to block a slash from one of them, but the same kicked Finn back and knocked him across the ground. Right before the robot could deliver the killing blow, there was blur of movement that ran across the entire group of robots. It had turned out to be Phoebe, who used Shadowless Thrust and took out the whole group they faced.

She quickly ran to Finn and knelt beside him. Luckily, there weren't any more robots attacking them for now. They looked towards the other Sentinels to check on their progress.

Erik was still near, helping her remove the rocks that had her pinned down. Mike, on the other hand, had been picked up in Gex's hand, who had dropped one of his swords to do so.

"Let go of me, you giant tin can!" he shouted.

"We have to help the others. You up to it?" Phoebe asked Finn.

"Let's go." Finn replied.

Before Finn could get up to assist the rest, the large door leading out of the courtyard opened and all of the pickup trucks that they had seen earlier entered and parked right in front of them, pointing their mounted guns at them. One of the other trucks pointed their weapons at Erik and Sasha,

To make their matters even worse, the gunships had also taken a position above directly above the courtyard and aimed themselves at Finn and Phoebe. All of them were surrounded and outgunned. There was no route of escape and they were all too weak to fight back. There was no way out; none that Finn could see.

"Ready!" one of the robots shouted.

The guns on the sides of the gunships began to spin as they prepared to unleash a barrage of bullets. The gunmen on the trucks were also ready to fire upon Erik and Sasha, while Mike was still trapped in Gex's grasp unable to move his arms.

Was this it? Was this really the way they would go? Finn didn't want to believe it, but there was no way out. No way to fight back for any of them.

"Phoebe…" he said, drawing her attention. "Listen, I… I really…"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Everything about their situation made him furious. He didn't want to give in to the fact that Cypher had beaten them, and all without him breaking a single sweat. Finn had failed everyone; Jake, Phoebe, Christine, Nora, and everyone in Ooo who died at the hands of Cypher.

Phoebe's eyes were starting to fill up with tears, but Finn wasn't able to see them fall before she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

"Aim!" the same robot shouted again.

Finn managed to bring up the strength to raise his own arms and wrap them tightly around her. While blood kept coming out of his right eye, tears streamed out the other. Finn rested his head next to hers and was able to notice a stream of tears running down her own cheeks.

Finn could see Erik and Sasha in a similar situation as Sasha pulled Erik to sit next to her and closed their eyes, awaiting their inevitable doom. Mike was also close to his own death as Gex raised its sword and aimed it at his head.

Finn leaned his head in closer to Phoebe's and whispered in her ear.

"Phoebe… I lo-"

Before he could finished his sentence, one of the gunships was hit by a missile and it began to spin out of control. The other gunship was too slow to get out of the way in time and the aircraft collided with one another, engulfing them in a ball of fire as they exploded in the air and landed just outside the courtyard.

Then, from the corner of Finn's eye, a VTOL flew in and hovered over the courtyard. The side door was opened revealing Alan knelt by the frame and holing what seemed like a rocket launcher in his hands. He tossed it aside and jumped down with his sword in hand and began taking out the robots in the pickup trucks. Elaine also jumped out soon after and helped him.

A gunship also joined in on the scene, but unlike the Syndicate gunships, this one was carrying Sentinel colors.

While the twins dealt with the robots, Seph also jumped out of the VTOL and landed on top of Gex's head, forcing the giant robot to let go of Mike. Gex raised his free arm in the air to try and grab Seph, but the Sentinel jumped up in the air as the hand reached for him and slashed away at the wrist.

Gex's hand came flying clean off, spilling oil on the ground wherever he moved it. Seph didn't give it time to recover before he latched on to the other hand and pulled himself towards it. He swung his sword as he flew by and the hand came off as well, leaving Gex defenseless. Seph then latched on to Gex's neck and pulled himself toward it, effectively cutting off the robots head. A large stream of oil came out of the remaining hole and the head fell to the ground with a bang, along with the rest of Gex's body afterwards.

Seph landed on top of the robots body and the courtyard became silent, aside from the blades of the two aircraft flying over them. Seph jumped off Gex's body and landed in front of Finn and Phoebe, who were still staring with wide eyes as the spectacle. Seph took of his helmet and knelt in front of them.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" he said.

Finn and Phoebe both turned to see Alan and Elaine were helping Erik and Sasha. Mike was just resting against a wall, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Finn and Phoebe also took the chance to sigh in relief; they were saved.

"I take it you've seen better days, Rookie." Seph said.

Finn didn't bother to call him out on his pun, instead he accepted his help as he and Phoebe helped him up.

The VTOL landed on the ground as the gunship continued to fly over them. Seph and Phoebe helped Finn aboard while Alan and Erik helped Sasha and Mike and Elaine entered on their own. The VTOL got a bit cramped but they could manage. Once they were all inside, Angie smiled at them from the pilot's seat.

"Ah, you're all alive. Wonderful!" she said.

"Angie, you can fly?" Erik asked.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, honey. Most of them are better off unknown. Now, let's get you all home."

Angie turned back to the front and the VTOL began taking off. Once they were at reasonable height, the VTOL hovered sideways to the Syndicate's building and they could see it clearly.

"Blow it." Seph said through his radio.

The gunship then started to fire a barrage of missiles at the building, effectively bringing down the entire structure and eliminating all remaining traces of Gex's body from the courtyard. Once the entire building was in smoking ruins, they began to fly away as the gunship flew next to them.

"So, you found us…" Finn said with a weak voice.

"Yep." Alan replied.

"But… I thought you were ordered to protect the queen." Finn said.

"That's true." Seph explained. "But even we can't go against the queen's very orders, especially when it's a situation involving her own son. We were forced to come here. Now be quiet and save your energy, Rookie. We're bringing you home."

Finn leaned back on his seat. Phoebe was sitting next to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder as they flew across the large desert.

"We made it, Finn. We survived." she said.

Finn didn't respond back. Instead he kept looking out at the horizon as the sun began to set.

* * *

The hangar was filled with the chatter of a dozen workers as the VTOL and gunship made their entrance. The VTOL landed in the center of the hangar, not bothering to land on one of the few free landing platforms to save time. The door opened and the Sentinels began to step out before the wheels even touched the ground.

From inside, Phoebe and Mike were both helping Finn stand by supporting him by both arms. His legs barely moved from how weak they felt and his vision had started to become so blurry that he could tell who was who unless they were standing mere inches from his face.

"Hold on, Finn. We're finally here." Phoebe said.

Finn continued to walk step by step as the workers in the hangar also helped. He was raised off his feet and was placed on a bed that they had brought in. The last thing he saw before fading to black were all the blurry lights of the ceiling.

* * *

Finn slowly opened his eye as he began to regain consciousness. The pain on the right side of his face and torso were still present but they weren't as strong as they were before. There was a heart monitor that kept beating in the same rhythm over and over, and there was a bag of blood strapped to a pole with a tube connected to Finn's arm. He was able to raise his head slightly and realized he was lying on the same bed in the same room as when he awoke in Olympia for the first time.

He raised his arm and placed it where his eye used to be, but all he felt was a bandage covering the entire upper right side of his face.

Despite the constant beeping of the heart monitor, there was one sound that stood out above the rest. Finn turned his head to the side and saw Christine sitting on a chair beside the bed, drawing on her notebook. She was singing while doing so, in the same angelic voice Finn heard the first time they met.

"Hey…" he said weakly.

Christine turned her head and a wide smile grew on her face.

"Finn!" she yelled as she got up and hugged him. The sudden impact made Finn wince in pain, which caused her to step back almost immediately. "I'm so sorry. I didn't..."

"Hey, hey, it's okay."

Finn extended both his arms to invite her back to hugging, but this time she was more careful not to hurt him.

"You have no idea how worried Mom was for you. I was worried too." she said.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. How long was I out?"

"A whole day." Christine let him go and she smiled at him. "Hang on, I'll go get Mom."

"Christine I-"

Christine was already out the door before Finn could finish. Finn had to wait in the room for another half hour, with the only sound being the annoying heart monitor. Despite feeling terrible, however, he also felt extremely relieved him and his friends all made it back alive.

The door opened again and Nora stepped in, gasping in surprise to find Finn awake. Finn couldn't say a single word before she pulled him into an even stronger hug than the one he received from Christine.

"Oh, my son… I'm so relieved you're alive." she said tearfully.

While she kept hugging him, Victor, Seph, and Christine all entered the room.

"And the Rookie awakens." Seph said.

Nora stepped back from Finn and cupped both his cheeks in her hands.

"What did they do to you? Did they submit you to endless torture? Did they try to force you to fall into their sick game?"

Finn placed both his hands on Nora's and lowered them.

"I'm fine."

Nora still didn't seem very convinced and her expression turned to anger.

"The damn Syndicate… How much more death and suffering will they cause?"

"A lot more, I'm afraid." Victor said as he stepped in.

"Unless we stop them." Seph added.

"We still don't know what Cypher's full intentions are. The whereabouts of their main headquarters is still a mystery. And who knows what he plans on doing with the Fire Giant once he gets it to work." Victor explained.

"Do we have any leads at all?" Finn asked.

"For the moment, no. I'm afraid we've got nothing to use against them, and the recent events have put you and the other Sentinels in poor fighting conditions." Victor replied.

"And now Cypher has us playing the waiting game. Only question is what he will play next." Seph said.

"That's enough. Let's leave Finn to rest for now." Nora said.

Victor and Seph both bowed their heads and left Finn alone with Nora and Christine. Nora placed a kiss on Finn's head and forced a smile through her tear filled face.

"Get well soon." she said.

She got up from the bed and walked out of the room. Finn though Christine was gonna leave the room as well but she remained still on the door frame. She looked back at Finn and walked towards him again, planting a kiss on his cheek before walking out herself.

Even though he had known them for a very short amount of time, Nora and Christine both treated him like they had known him forever. Finn smiled to himself and laid back down on the bed, left once again with the constant beeping of the heart monitor.

It luckily didn't last long when the door to the room opened again. This time it was Phoebe who walked in, wearing her normal set of clothes. Aside from a few barely noticeable bruises, she looked just as fine as before.

"Hey." she said as she closed the door.

"Hey." Finn replied. "Good to see you're doing well."

Phoebe half smiled and made her way towards his bed. She sat next to him and ran her hand across her hair, trying to think of what to say.

"That was quite the adventure, huh?" she said.

"Yeah. It was a very eye-opening experience."

"That's not funny."

"I know."

There was more silence between the two of them for a few minutes. Finn kept rubbing his hand gently across the bandages covering his missing eye.

"Does it still hurt a lot?" she asked.

"Not as much as before. But I've always been accustomed to pain, anyway."

"I just wish the entire ordeal could've been avoided. We came so close to dying… Especially you. And I couldn't do anything to help."

Her eyes began to tear up but Finn sat further up on the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, none of this," he gestured towards his eye, "is your fault. It was my fight and I was bested. But I promise you it won't end like that next time. Cypher and the Syndicate _will_ answer for everything they've done and we'll find a way to bring your powers back. Mark my words."

Phoebe wiped away the single tear that managed to escape her eye and smiled. She raised her hand and placed it on top of Finn's as it rested on her shoulder.

"Okay. One way or another we'll finish this. Just… promise me you won't do anything that would cost your life." Phoebe said.

"You know I can't promise you that. But I can promise you that I'll fight to the very last breath until Cypher is brought to justice and we rescue Jake."

Phoebe felt mostly reassured by Finn's words, tough it still didn't make her worries completely disappear. Nonetheless, she leaned in closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, gently pulling him into a hug. He returned the hug without a second thought and the two eventually separated.

"I'll leave you to rest." Phoebe said.

"Alright. I'll see you soon." Finn replied.

Phoebe got up from the bed and walked towards the door. She opened it and smiled back at Finn one more time before closing the door as she left.

She remained standing on the other side of the door for a while. She reached into her shirt and pulled out the ruby necklace still wrapped around her neck and as shiny as the day she got it. She ran her hand against the jewels surface and then put back in her shirt, eventually making her way down the corridor.

' _We'll get through this, Finn. Together.'_

* * *

 **Note: Theme of this chapter: "Cypher does not screw around."**

 **In all seriousness, though, I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far. I'm still not sure how many chapters it'll have but I plan on going on until it's over.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: Let's hope so.**

 **Ooobserver: Okay, I'll admit, Uncharted did have something to do with it.**

 **Fiery Crusader: It doesn't necessarily take killing to show strength, as is show in this chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20: Home over Duty

**Chapter 20: Home over Duty**

It had been a full month since the encounter with Cypher in the desert. Everyone who was there that day were witnesses to the real power of the Syndicate and they also learned the inevitable truth that they were out-manned. No one could attest to that more than Finn.

Their lives were able to go on as always after things began to settle. Sasha's legs had healed, so she was able to walk again though it would still be a while before she would properly fight. Finn's wounds, however, never healed.

The sun was only just rising, and Finn and Phoebe were the only Sentinels in the courtyard along with Christine, who was watching them from a distance with her drawing notebook in hand. Finn stood opposite of Phoebe with his sword in hand while she did the same. Finn took a deep breath and charged the girl head on, slashing towards her lower hip. She was able to block the attack with her own swords and sparks flew out in every direction from the contact.

Phoebe pushed Finn back and tried to hit him with her own sword as Finn recovered and moved out of the way of the attack. Phoebe aimed to hit his upper body and he knelt as the sword passed over him. As he knelt on the ground he swung his sword sideways to try and hit Phoebe, but she was able to jump back just in time to barely miss the blade's tip.

Finn got up from the ground and ran towards her again at full speed. Phoebe placed her feet firmly on the ground and pushed herself towards the left, effectively dodging the hit. After she stopped, she swung her leg forward and hit Finn across the stomach, knocking him back and making him fall against the ground.

Finn lied down for a few seconds before sitting back up. Phoebe just watched in pity as Finn removed his helmet to show his grinding teeth and smashed his fist against the ground and grunted in annoyance. Phoebe removed her own helmet and slowly approached him to offer him a hand in getting up, which he accepted without a second thought.

"Don't worry, Finn. You'll get the hang of it eventually," Phoebe said.

"I thought it would be the same fighting with just one eye. Guess I was wrong," Finn replied.

Fighting had become a bigger chore for Finn after the loss of his eye. Everything that attacked him from his blind side usually succeeded. Not being able to regain his sight, he was brought down to wearing an eyepatch where his eye once was. It was black, and rather than going over his head, the strap went over his nose, all the way around over his left cheekbone, and passed around his head and underneath his hair until reaching the patch from the other side. It wasn't the prettiest eyepatch, but at least it didn't obstruct his hair in any way.

Christine got up from the ground and wiped the dust off her pants before walking towards them.

"At least the eyepatch makes you look cool, which is a plus," Christine commented.

"While I can agree with that, it's not exactly practical. Though if countless people could fight with less body parts, why can't I?"

"Fewer," Christine replied.

"What?" Finn asked.

"Nothing. Now come on, quit whining and keep fighting," Christine said cheerfully.

"You sound like a cheerleader," Finn said.

"Well, am I cheering you up?" Christine asked.

"Eh, a little," Finn replied.

"Doesn't matter. Just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll be fighting like a pro again in no time," Christine replied.

Finn and Phoebe spent the rest of the morning training. The courtyard was now filled with the rest of the Sentinels as they each went on their own routines. After another failed attempt at blocking an attack from his blind spot, Finn stopped when he saw Erik and Sasha both walking by.

"Hey guys," Phoebe said. "How are your legs, Sasha?"

"Better, though I still have trouble bending my knees. It'll be a while before I can go back to doing fieldwork."

"Bummer. So how are you doing, Finn?" Erik asked.

"Aside from annoyed and frustrated beyond all reason? I'm perfectly fine," Finn replied.

"Hey, keep it up buddy. Besides, I'm pretty sure chicks dig a guy with an eyepatch-OOF!" he stopped when Sasha punched him in the stomach. "Why?!"

"No more of that. Now go," she said.

Erik mumbled something under his breath before he and Sasha went about their business. Finn got back up from the ground and stretched his arms while Christine rejoined them.

"I just saw Erik get punched again. What happened?" she asked.

"He was acting stupid again," Finn replied.

"Ah. Well that is his specialty," Christine replied. "Do you think there might be someone else who could help out with your training? Maybe Mike?"

"I'd sooner lose my other eye," Finn replied, earning him a punch in the gut as well from Phoebe. "Ugh. Well… there might be Rattleballs. Though I highly doubt he would have some insight in fighting with one eye."

"He's a robot. He's bound to know something," Phoebe replied.

"Well, you two can go ahead and do what you want. Just be careful not to hurt yourself, Finn," Christine said.

"Heh, when do I ever get myself hurt?" he asked.

"I really hope that's a joke or I'm gonna punch you again," Phoebe said.

Finn and Phoebe were walking over to Victor's office when they heard loud clatter coming from Angie's lab as they passed by it. They both decided to stop and check the noise. While opening her door, sparks from a welding tool were spreading all over the room, prompting Finn and Phoebe to both put on their helmets to protect themselves from getting burned.

They both stood unnoticed behind her as they took a peek on what Angie was working on, though whatever it was hadn't taken enough form to identify as anything. Once the welding tool stopped, Angie sighed and took off the protective mask over her face.

"Hmm, it's gonna need some more-GAAAAAAH!"

Angie hit Finn over his head with the welding tool as she screamed. He grunted and was knocked back from the impact even though the helmet had protected his head from any real damage. Meanwhile, Phoebe was struggling to hold in her laughter.

"Oh, it's only you two. You know, you really shouldn't sneak up on me like that," Angie said.

"I think I'm aware of that now," Finn said.

Finn and Phoebe both removed their helmets so they could see a bit more clearly.

"We haven't seen you in a while, Angie. How have you been?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. I've just been rather busy lately."

There was a sound of clanking metal coming from further down the hallway, getting closer as if they were footsteps. Turned out they were when a Syndicate robot came into the room.

Finn and Phoebe both pulled out their swords and aimed them at the robot.

"How did that thing get in here?!" Finn asked.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up!" Angie said as she stood in front of it. "He's a friend."

"Friend?" Phoebe asked.

"Greetings," the robot said. "I am unit SKR-4P."

"Angie, what is this?" Finn asked while he and Phoebe didn't lower their swords.

"This is Scrap. He's a little project of mine. I began building him shortly after the Syndicate attacked us using the spare parts that were left from the destroyed sentries," Angie explained.

"My only wish is to serve the Sentinels and aid them in their duties," Scrap said.

Finn and Phoebe looked at one another then slowly began to lower their swords.

"Is it dangerous?" Finn asked.

"He's just a service robot to help me around the lab. He's not built to fight… unfortunately," Angie replied.

"And Victor and Seph approved of this?" Phoebe asked.

"Of course not. But since I'm not technically a Sentinel I'm under orders from the queen not them, so they can't do anything about it. Ha!" Angie replied then turned to Scrap. "Could you do me a favor and help me weld this together?"

"Yes, Mother," Scrap replied.

"Mother?" Phoebe asked.

"I programmed him to call me that," Angie replied while smiling. "Now off you go. I have some more work that needs to be done."

Finn and Phoebe couldn't stay in the room for more than a few seconds longer before Angie pushed them out the door and closed it behind them. Shortly after, the sound of muffled welding could be heard once more inside.

"She is so weird," Phoebe commented.

Neither said another word as they reached the door to Victor's office. Finn placed his ear close to it to find out if he was talking with anyone but no voices came from inside. Knocking first, Finn placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, letting him and Phoebe into the room.

Victor was currently giving food to his fishes. Each one kept swimming up to the surface to grab the tiny pieces and swallowing them one by one. Victor placed the bottle of food down on his desk and smiled at Finn and Phoebe as they both came in.

"What can I do for you both?" he asked.

Victor sat down on the chair behind his desk while Finn and Phoebe sat on the other two facing him.

"Well," Finn started, "we came here because we were hoping that you would give us permission to return to Ooo. I've gotten better at fighting with one eye over the past month but it's still not enough. I thought that maybe Rattleballs could help me."

Victor studied the two Sentinels carefully. His expression didn't give Finn any hope of him approving.

"I would love to help you, Finn, but that's impossible right now," Victor said.

"Why?" Finn asked.

Victor looked at them both confusingly.

"Wait, no one has told you yet?" Victor asked.

"Told us what? What's wrong?" Phoebe asked, growing worried.

Victor leaned in closer to his desk and rested his elbows on it while holding his chin with his hands.

"There's a war going on in Ooo right now. Most of it is in turmoil and it's made our air traffic rather difficult as of late."

Finn and Phoebe were both shocked at the news.

"War?! With who?" Finn asked.

"Um, Candy Kingdom and Fire Kingdom, I believe. They've been going at it for a few weeks," Victor replied.

"What?! Why would my kingdom go to war?! In my absence, Flint is supposed to be in charge, but even he knows better than enacting war after the Sleeping Fire Giant was stolen. And my people wouldn't allow it!" Phoebe said.

"We don't know the full specifics, Phoebe. We can't afford to get involved in the affairs of those on Earth. Our only option is to wait it out until the war is over," Victor explained.

"But sir-"

"No, Finn. I may have allowed trips to Earth at one point but not anymore. Especially not now. You will both remain in Olympia unless given an order saying otherwise. Is that understood?"

"Sir, these are my people going to war!" Phoebe shouted.

"They _were_ your people!" Victor said as he got up. "Your duty is now to the Sentinels, Olympia, and her queen. And even if you were to go to Earth, would your people even listen to you at your current state?"

Phoebe opened her mouth to speak, but it only slightly shook as no words came from her mouth. She closed it and sat back down on the chair.

"I… I understand, sir," she said in a cracking voice.

"Trust me, Phoebe, I'm not cold hearted. I know you're going through a tough time right now but your place is here now; and so is yours Finn. The two of you are dismissed."

Phoebe nodded and made her way out of the room. Finn, instead, stood up and leaned against Victor's desk to be level with him.

"Sir, I know you mean well, but you gotta let us do this," Finn said.

"I will not repeat myself, Finn. The answer is 'No'. Now leave."

Finn glared at Victor for a few more seconds then turned to leave the room as well. It didn't take long for Finn to find Phoebe sitting in the hall with her back against the wall, her face buried into her arms as they rested on her knees. He walked towards her and knelt in front of her.

"Phoebe?" he asked to get her attention.

Phoebe raised her head to show a single tear dripping down her cheek. She sniffed and wiped it off with her arm.

"I'm fine, Finn," she said.

"Look, I think we might be able to-"

"What's the point?" Phoebe interrupted. "He's right, Finn. Even if we were to somehow get to Ooo, there's no way anyone would ever recognize me. I'll just have to stay here as my people get slaughtered."

"Even if that's the case, we have to do something. I was once the hero to those people. How do you think I feel knowing they expect me to be there for them when I'm not?"

Phoebe sniffed again and wiped away another tear.

"But how are we even supposed to go to Ooo? You heard what Victor said," she explained.

Finn thought for a moment as he looked towards the ground, then back up at her.

"I think I know who can help. Though he might be reluctant to."

* * *

Mike punched Finn across the face and sent him falling back towards the wall. Before Finn had a chance to recover, Mike placed his arm against Finn's neck and choked him as he raised his feet off the ground.

"Are you out of your mind?! You're asking me to commit treason for something that doesn't involve us!" Mike shouted.

"Mike, let him go!" Phoebe shouted as she pulled on his arm.

Mike turned towards her with an angry glare before turning back to Finn, who was struggling to breathe. Mike removed his arm from Finn's neck and he fell to the ground on his knees, coughing as he was able to catch some air again.

"I'm not asking you to betray the Sentinels," Finn said. "I'm only asking for this one favor. We can take all the blame afterwards."

"How is it your blame if I agree? To start, we'd be exposing ourselves to the creatures of Earth," Mike explained.

"They're not creatures," Phoebe replied. "They're our people. Don't you have any understanding of what that means?"

"I do. But I'm already with my people. The problems of yours are no concern of mine," Mike replied.

"Mike," Finn said as he got up, "I know everything we're saying may sound crazy, but we can't do this without your help. You're the only person we trust who can fly a VTOL."

Mike angrily glared at the two of them.

"Trust? Pfft, since when?" he asked.

"Since the beginning. I know we have our differences, Mike, but it's like Victor said: we have to work together, otherwise we won't get anywhere. Besides, we're both Sentinels; we watch each other's backs. Wouldn't you do what it takes to protect those you care about?"

Mike still seemed unconvinced. He turned to face away from them and sat down on his bed, looking down at the floor with his fingers locked with each other.

"Damn you two… Fine. I'll get you to Earth, but I'm not staying with you once we land, nor will I pick you up once you're done. Once the Sentinels find out you're gone they _will_ find you."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Phoebe replied.

Mike glared at the two once more then stood up.

"Alright, so how do we go about this?" Finn asked.

"The hangar is too busy right now. We'll have to wait until night and go when there's little people keeping watch," Mike explained.

"And they'll just let us inside the VTOL?" Phoebe asked.

"No, which is where it'll get tricky. Now listen up…"

* * *

Finn sat on the side of his bed, moving a piece of cloth back and forth across his sword. The clock next to him read 4:46 AM. It was nearly time for Mike, Phoebe, and him to make their move, which admittedly made him rather nervous.

There was a knock on his door, snapping him out of his trance. He got up from the bed and opened it. Mike and Phoebe were standing outside, both wearing their power armor.

"Are you ready?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. Let's do this," Finn replied.

Finn closed the door behind him and the three of them began to walk through the halls. They grew uneasy every time they passed by a security camera patrolling a hall.

"The cameras don't record sound so it's safe to talk. Just don't move your lips too much. If we're gonna pull this off, we have to disable them first," Mike explained.

Finn and Phoebe made sure to follow every single command Mike gave them. The first one being for them to put on their helmets, hiding their faces from anyone that might notice them. In order to get to the security room, they would have to pass through the lobby, which Mike had pointed out only had two guards at this time of night.

They reached the lobby and peaked their heads over the stair railings to try and find the guards. Both of them were sitting on the chairs of the main desk with their weapons leaning on them. They were both speaking to each other, but none from the group paid any mind to their conversation.

Finn and Phoebe both made sure to remember this part of the plan while waiting for Mike to give the signal. He held up five fingers in the air and began to count down. Once all fingers were down, Mike fired his grappling hook at the camera, breaking it. Before the two guards below had time to react, Finn and Phoebe jumped over the railing and landed on top of them.

Each one held on tightly to their necks as the guards struggled to break free. It didn't take long before their movements became slower and eventually went unconscious, allowing Finn and Phoebe to let go of them and place them gently on the ground.

Mike jumped down to join them and, on the mark, the radio of one of the guards turned on and a voice began to speak.

" _Bravo 5, come in. Over."_

Mike grabbed the radio and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Bravo 5 here. Over," he said.

" _We lost visual on the camera in the lobby. Is everything alright? Over."_

"Everything is fine. Must have blown a fuse. Over."

" _Alright. We saw a few Sentinels heading that way. Maybe they can help. Over."_

Mike took the radio with him and looked towards Finn and Phoebe.

"Let's do this quick. There's too many cameras in the hangar to take out so we have to go to the security room."

Finn and Phoebe both nodded and followed Mike as they went into the elevator leading up. There were more cameras where they were going so they kept their helmets on despite seeming suspicious. When the door opened they began to walk down the hall.

"It's only a matter of seconds before they contact the lobby guards to know if they saw us. We have to move."

They all walked down the hall as fast as they could without seeming suspicious. Watching the cameras pan along with them as they walked past only served to make them very uneasy, but they kept their cool.

The security room was just up ahead. Just like they had planned, Finn walked towards it and knocked. It opened after a few seconds and a guard peeked his head through.

"Did you-"

Without a second to lose, Finn busted the door open and tackled the guard. He punched him in the head and knocked him unconscious, then Phoebe rushed in and quickly took out the second guard inside the room before he had a chance to even to react.

Mike walked in once the entire room was clear. There was nothing but a large desk with a few chairs where over a dozen screens were set. Each one kept changing to show another part of the building, making Finn and Phoebe confused which camera was which.

The first thing Mike did was walk over to the desk and knelt down to find the cameras' main power source. He flicked a switch on it and all of the screens went black. Afterwards, he ejected a small disk from inside the power source and snapped in in half, then in four parts, and eventually crumbled it completely.

"Well, that takes care of our faces on the recordings," Mike said.

"Remind me again why it had to be me and Phoebe to break in here while you waited," Finn said.

"Like I said, I'm not staying with you on Earth. Once these two guards wake up, they'll remember who you two were more than anyone else," Mike explained.

"Lovely," Phoebe said.

Once they were done and made sure the door was locked tight, they made their way back down the elevator and across the lobby to the next one.

It was now the final part of the plan, and also the trickiest. Once the doors opened, the three of them ran as quietly as possible to one of the supply crates scattered around the room to hide from the patrols. There were a total of six guards in the hangar and a few mechanics working on some of the aircraft. Mike pointed towards the one they needed to go, which was currently being worked on.

It took them several minutes, but they were eventually able to get within a few feet of the VTOL. The mechanic working appeared to have been finished, making the group's job a lot easier. Mike slowly crept up behind the mechanic and knocked him out, catching his body before it hit the ground hard.

Mike searched the mechanic's vest and pulled out a small pad with a screen on it. Finn and Phoebe were both watching as Mike tinkered with the device and worked on what appeared to be documents. After he was done, he placed the pad back inside the mechanic's vest.

"There. Now this VTOL is scheduled for a test flight right about now," Mike said.

"Nice," Finn replied.

The group made sure the guards were out of sight before they entered the VTOL and closed its doors. Mike wasted no time in getting ready on the pilot seat and turning on the engines. The aircraft then began to lift off the ground then fly out of the hangar as the city began to get farther behind them.

Finn and Phoebe both sat down and breathed sighs of relief as they removed their helmets. Mike also took off his and looked back to them.

"Alright, let's do this as quickly as possible," he said.

* * *

The sun was just rising over the horizon when they reached solid land. The Grasslands were still not visible from their current altitude, but they were close enough to notice smoke rising from the other side of the hill in which they landed on. Finn and Phoebe exited the VTOL and placed their feet on the grass.

"Okay, Mike, we got it from here," Finn said.

"Thank you," Phoebe said as well.

"Just try not to die and pray the Sentinels aren't the ones who kill ya," Mike replied.

Finn just gave a thumbs up as the VTOL began to ascend back towards Olympia.

"Will there be an easy way back?" Phoebe asked.

"Probably not," Finn replied.

And his statement was made even truer when a large fireball came flying across the air and struck the VTOL.

The aircraft spun out of control in the air and was making its crash landing towards Finn and Phoebe. Finn grabbed Phoebe by the waist as fast as he could and pulled both of them towards the ground as the spinning blades barely missed their heads.

Finn raised his head while still holding down Phoebe as he watched the VTOL raised the dirt upwards as the blades made contact with the ground. The aircraft continued to move, however, and ended up crashing inside a nearby forest, knocking out several trees down and setting others on fire.

"Mike!" Finn shouted.

Finn helped Phoebe up and the two of them ran towards the crashed aircraft. The burning trees and smoke were clouding the view, making it difficult to see very far in front of them. Eventually, they came across the downed VTOL, which was just as twisted and damaged as the one that crashed in the desert.

"Mike?!" Finn shouted again.

The sound of coughing and grunting could be heard from within but the door were still closed. Finn and Phoebe both pulled out their swords and began cutting into the side of the VTOL's door. Once it was cut enough to bend, the placed their fingers into the cut metal and began pulling back on it as the door twisted open.

Inside the VTOL was Mike, trapped underneath a tree that had fallen and smashed through the roof. He grunted as he attempted to lift the tree and crawl out but the massive weight was back on him as soon as he attempted to move out of its way. He stopped when he noticed Finn and Phoebe.

"A little help?" Mike asked.

Finn and Phoebe placed their arms underneath the trunk and began to pull with all their might. Mike was able to crawl out as soon as it was lifted and the two holding it let down once he was fully out.

There was no time for thanks as the group heard distant voices shouting at each other and getting closer. They worked on getting out of the VTOL as quick as possible and ran in the opposite direction of the voices. Phoebe looked back from within the trees that hid them and saw a large group of fire soldiers accompanied by a fire golem approaching the aircraft.

The group didn't waste time remaining around to be found and began running. The smoke of the crash was well behind them when they reached the end of the forest and they witnessed in full the state the Candy Kingdom and the Grasslands.

The Candy Kingdom's walls were crumbling and were missing large chunks, but still sturdy enough to keep foot soldiers from getting in. The gate had also taken a beating, along with the palace and some of the buildings that were hit by the catapults. The body of a Gumball Guardian was lying on the ground with its head broken while the other sat on the wall missing an arm.

Facing the kingdom and having taken control of the Grasslands was the Fire Kingdom army. Red tents were placed in the field and soldiers were walking around preparing their weapons and war machines. The entire grass of the once green fields was now dead and turned to ash, and the fact that the sun was hiding behind gray clouds only made it seem worse.

Finn and Phoebe could only stare in terror as they saw what had become of their home.

"I guess I'm gonna have to stay down here with the two of you for now," Mike said.

"This is terrible. I… I never wanted any of this," Phoebe said.

"We have to do something. If anyone can tell us what exactly is going on, it's Princess Bubblegum," Finn said.

Phoebe nodded but Mike just remained staring at the burning fields. The group began walking down the hill before Finn felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He quickly turned and placed his hand on his sheathed sword, but it remained that way when Finn realized it was Rattleballs.

"Lost an eye, Finn?" Rattleballs asked.

"Rattleballs! Good to see you again," Finn said.

"How did you find us?" Phoebe asked.

"I saw the strange aircraft crash and I figured I'd check all the commotion. And who's this?" Rattleballs asked as he looked towards Mike.

"I think we have bigger things to worry about than introductions," Mike replied.

"True. I imagine that's why you're here?" Rattleballs asked.

"That's right. What happened?" Finn asked.

Rattleballs sighed and walked towards the edge of the hill as he looked down at the crumbling Candy Kingdom and fire army.

"Let us go to the princess. Then we can explain everything," Rattleballs said.

The entire group nodded and followed Rattleballs as he led them across the burning Grasslands.

* * *

Thomas walked across the halls of the Syndicate hideout until he reached Cypher's room. He opened the door and found Cypher looking out the window in front of him at the Sleeping Fire Giant at the factory below.

The room always made Thomas uncomfortable, mainly due to the large amount of animal heads mounted on the walls. There was also a full sized stuffed bear in the corner of the room with both its eyes removed, leaving nothing but black soulless chasms.

Cypher also held his mask in his hand, and Thomas was able to catch one of the very few glimpses of his face through the window's reflection. Thomas stopped a few feet away from Cypher and put his hands behind his back as he cleared his throat.

"Cypher," Thomas said to get his attention.

Cypher turned his head slightly, showing only the right side of his mouth as the rest of his face was covered by his black hair.

"What is it?" he asked in a normal voice that wasn't obstructed by the mask.

"Finn Mertens is on Earth," Thomas replied.

The only response from Cypher was a few seconds of silence; followed by him showing his white teeth as a devilish grin appeared on his face.

* * *

 **CoolDudeAgent: I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

 **Ooobserver: We shall see indeed.**


	21. Chapter 21: Choices, Right or Wrong

**Chapter 21: Choices, Right or Wrong**

"Open the gate!" a banana guard shouted as Finn, Phoebe, Mike, and Rattleballs approached the Candy Kingdom.

The massive gates creaked open as they bent edges scratched against the ground. The city didn't look much better from the inside. Most of the people were either packing to leave just outside their houses or were stubborn to stay so they were boarding up their windows.

The group received confused glazes from them but their eyes turned away on account that they had their helmets on, concealing their faces. A carriage carrying wounded soldiers passed across the street in front of them, assaulting their ears with the sound of spinning wheels and the groans of the people it carried. They kept on walking towards the palace once it passed.

A few children were running around, laughing and playing as if everything around them was fine. The air became filled with the whispers and murmurs of the people as they kept seeing the group walk by.

"Who are they?"

"Are they with the Fire Kingdom?"

"Will they help us?"

"They better not cause any trouble."

The group was finally able to reach the entrance to the palace. The guards pointed their spears at them but lowered them soon after they saw Rattleballs. The rest of their path was clear as the gates to the palace were opened and they stepped inside.

Unlike the practically dead streets of the city, the palace was booming with activity as soldiers and workers ran around the throne room. Standing near the throne itself with the captain of the guard speaking to her was Princess Bubblegum herself, drinking tea from mug that she placed on a tray Peppermint Butler held up next to her.

The bubblegum princess looked towards the group and raised an eyebrow at them.

"Thank you. Can you excuse me for a second?" she asked the captain in front of her.

The captain bowed and walked off to continue his duties. PB walked to the group and Rattleballs placed his closed fist against his chest.

"Princess," he said.

"Hello Rattleballs. Who are these people?" PB asked.

"I think it would be better to explain in a private area. But they're here to help," Rattleballs replied.

"I'm kind of busy right now, Rattleballs. Can this wait?" she asked.

"It can, but what they have to offer is worth your time."

PB looked at the three masked figures and sighed.

"Alright, but let's make this quick. We can go to my chambers," she said.

She led the way as they passed through the inner halls of the palace. Some of the workers were busy patching up holes in the walls and clearing out most of the debris. Finn had to duck underneath a long wooden beam when a worker came out of one of the rooms and nearly hit his head. Once they reached PB's room, she opened the door and stepped inside as the group followed.

Her room had changed a lot from the times Finn had seen it. The walls were lined with countless maps and battle plans. There was a table filled with even more papers and pictures of different weapons from both armies. PB closed the door once the group was in, looking even more tired than before in the dim light.

"Okay, who are you people? And why do you want to help us?" PB asked.

The group all turned to Finn, prompting him to be the first to talk. He was hesitant at first but eventually began to walk towards the waiting princess. Once he was only inches from her, he began moving his hand up slowly to remove his helmet.

Finn's hand reached the switch and the helmet began to disappear into the suit, revealing his face from the top down. PB's eyes widened and her mouth opened just from the look of Finn's recognizable blond hair, but her expression was more terrified than surprised when she saw the eyepatch over his eye. The helmet was now gone, and PB got a full view of the young hero's face after a whole month.

There was just silence for what felt like the longest time for Finn. PB's face was showing a multitude of emotions from surprise, confusion, sadness, and disbelief. Eventually, she began to walk slowly towards Finn until she was able to bring her hand up towards his cheek and over one of the eyepatch's straps.

"Finn?" PB asked as her eyes became watery.

"Yeah… it's me," Finn replied.

A single tear dripped down PB's cheek as she wrapped her arms around Finn and pulled him into a hug. Finn, after recovering from the sudden force, proceeded to wrap his own arms around her. Meanwhile, Phoebe and Mike removed their own helmets and watched as the two separated from their hug. PB sniffed and wiped away the tears from her face.

"You're alive," she said. She looked over Finn's shoulder and saw Mike and Phoebe. "Who are they? They look… human."

Finn looked towards the others and pointed at them as he introduced them.

"This is Mike. Though I think he'd like to keep it at that. And this…" he paused when he pointed towards Phoebe, "this is Flame Princess."

PB was dumbfounded until she studied Phoebe's face closer. There was no denying the similarities.

"Wait… Phoebe?" PB asked.

"In the flesh," Phoebe replied.

PB slowly approached Phoebe and looked at her up and down. Without a warning she also grabbed Phoebe's arm and extended it.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked.

"Where did you get this kind of gear?" PB asked.

"Long story," Phoebe replied. Silence remained between them both as PB kept studying her. "PB, is there… some way you could turn me back to my old self?"

PB looked at her in the face and let go of her arm.

"Maybe… but I don't even how they were taken away to begin with. It seems like all they did was remove your power gem and I can't do much without it or something similar."

Phoebe wasn't too satisfied with the answer but nodded anyway. PB looked at the entire group, still mesmerized by the fact they were still alive and Phoebe had lost her powers.

"How did all this happen? Everyone thought you were dead," PB said.

"We've been in hiding this past month. Didn't Rattleballs tell you anything?" Finn asked.

PB looked over Finn's shoulder at Rattleballs, giving him and angry glare.

"You knew?" she asked.

"Yes," Rattleballs replied.

"And you didn't tell me?!" PB shouted.

"I didn't think you needed to know until the time was right."

Whatever sadness PB was going through a few seconds ago was now replaced with anger at Rattleballs. She walked over to the table and placed her hands on top of the many papers as she sighed to calm herself down. Once she did, she turned her head to face the group.

"I guess right now isn't the time for anger. We have bigger problems to deal with. Flame King has been constantly moving against the kingdom and I-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you just say 'Flame King'?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah. He's the one leading the army," PB replied.

"But… how?" Finn asked.

Before PB had the chance to answer, the hallway outside the room was filled with the sound of clattering and people shouting in fear. Finn, Phoebe, Rattleballs, and Mike all pulled out their swords as the sounds got closer.

"What's happening out there?" PB asked.

The sounds became louder until they were just outside the door. There were several footsteps and a man began speaking, followed by a woman's voice.

"Ma'am, you're really not supposed to be in-AHHHHHH!"

"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS THAT LYING, NO GOOD, WEENIE?!"

"Oh no…" Finn said.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Marceline stepped in. Her eyes were red and her face showed she was clearly furious.

"You!" she said as she pointed at Finn.

"H-hey, Marcie. What's up?" Finn said nervously.

Marceline just growled and began to fly towards Finn at breakneck speed. Finn prepared himself to receive a punch but was instead knocked towards the ground as Marceline wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug much tighter than PB.

"I thought you were dead!" she said as her voice was muffled from pressing her mouth against Finn's shoulder.

"It's a long story," Finn said struggling through her grip. She eventually let go of him and he was able to fully stand up. "How did you even find me?

"I can smell human from a mile away. And there aren't that many around here, are there?" Marceline replied. She looked behind him and saw Phoebe and Mike. "Except those, apparently. What's going on, Finn?"

"Oh, they're-"

Before Finn could finish, Lady Rainicorn flew into the room, causing him to groan silently.

' _Is everyone in Ooo gonna be coming into this room?'_ he thought.

"다 그래? 내가 들었어요 소리 짤," Lady said, though most of them didn't understand what she said.

"Everything is fine, Lady," PB said.

Lady looked towards Finn and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of him.

Before Finn had any time to react, Lady flew towards him and pulled him into a tight hug, nearly knocking him to the ground again. She let go after several seconds but she still kept her arms resting on his shoulders.

"당신은 살아 있어! 어디 제이크는?"

Finn could only make out the word "Jake".

"Sorry, Lady. I don't know where Jake is," he said.

Lady just closed her eyes and bowed her head before taking her arms off his shoulders and slowly floating back. PB went over and closed the door so that no one else would barge in.

"Okay, Finn, it's time to start explaining," PB said.

"Yeah. Every single detail," Marceline said.

And so Finn began telling them the entire story from the beginning. Phoebe and Mike both spoke as well every so often to fill in details Finn missed. The girls found most of it hard to believe, especially when he talked about Olympia. He didn't say a word about the queen being his mother; he found that information unnecessary.

They all seemed to grow expressions of hatred every time Finn mentioned Cypher and everything he'd done right to the point of cutting out Finn's eye. After nearly a half-hour, he was finished and just waited for their reactions.

"If I get my hands on this Cypher guy, he'll have a lot of things coming to him," Marceline said as she wrapped her fist in her hand.

"우리는 또한 그는 제이크와 무슨 짓을 해야 합니다."

"That's true. As long as they have Jake, we can't make many hasty moves," PB said. "But why would they release Flame King? Why would they take Phoebe's powers? And what do they gain from starting a war by using him? I don't get this, and I really don't like not knowing."

"We don't know either. That's why we're here," Phoebe said.

"Unfortunately, our guesses are as good as yours," Rattleballs said. "We don't know the full scope of the situation, but we can find out."

"How?" Finn asked.

"You mentioned that Flint was supposed to be the one to rule, correct?" Rattleballs asked Phoebe.

"Right," Phoebe replied.

"So we find him," Rattleballs added. "Flame King's headquarters in knee deep inside their camp, but we might be able to find Flint among their foot soldiers on the outskirts. Whether he's on Flame King's side or not, he's our only source of information among their ranks."

"True, but it won't be easy sneaking our way in," Finn said.

"내가 그릴 수 있었다 당신의 갑옷 그들의 같은 색. 그 수 쉽게 그것은."

"That's a good idea, Lady. Yes, she could paint your armor to look like theirs to help you blend in," PB said.

"Okay, but if we're doing this, we _cannot_ get caught. If we do, I don't think it'll just be Flame King to worry about if he is working for the Syndicate," Finn said.

"Obviously," Mike said, one of the very few words he's said since they arrived.

"I'll go with you guys. I can make myself invisible, after all," Marceline said.

"The war is at a ceasefire for now. This is a better chance to go than any other before they continue their attack tomorrow," PB said.

Finn looked around at the whole group. They all seemed to be on board with the plan, except for Mike; but then again, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Alright. Let's do this," Finn said.

* * *

After having gone through their plan a few times, the group was now ready to head out into Fire kingdom territory. They all stood on the palace's highest balcony as Lady applied the color to their armor, making them look like flame soldiers. Mostly.

Once Lady was done, the group thanked her. Lady simply bowed her head and nodded before flying to the side, allowing passage to PB and Rattleballs.

"I apologize that I won't be joining you, but someone has to keep an eye out for Fire Kingdom spies," Rattleballs said.

"It's alright. We can handle this," Finn replied.

"Be safe, Finn. You got lucky the first time you nearly died, but here…" PB said but never finished.

"I'll be fine, PB," Finn replied.

She nodded then looked towards Marceline as she hovered over the balcony's edge. She was wearing a hoodie to protect herself from any rays of the sun, even though it was currently cloudy.

"You too, Marcy," PB said.

"Pfft, when am I not careful?" Marceline asked. She noticed the worried look on PB's face and sighed. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Once goodbyes were done, Finn, Phoebe, and Mike stood at the edge of the balcony and looked down at the city below. Finn looked towards Phoebe and placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look at him.

"You ready?" Finn asked.

Phoebe responded by putting on her helmet.

"Ready," she replied.

Finn and Mike put on their own helmets and each placed one foot on top of the balcony's edge. With one hard push, they each propelled themselves off the balcony and fell towards the buildings below.

Right before they hit the ground, each of them shot their grappling hooks at a nearby tower and pulled themselves towards it. With enough momentum, they catapulted themselves across it and flew nearly halfway over the city. There was one more tower near the wall that they used to repeat the process and were launched clear over the wall, landing roughly on the grass on the other side and began running towards the nearest tree line.

Once they made sure they weren't seen by anyone from either side, they began running towards the Fire Kingdom encampment. Once some of the tents were in sight, they all knelt and scouted the area, seeing a few soldiers walking by.

"Okay, this is gonna be tricky," Finn said.

"Let's just get this over with," Mike said.

Finn nodded his head and the group ran towards the nearest tent once the guards had moved on. The camp looked empty from their current view, but the constant chatter made it clear there were many more soldiers walking around. Finn raised his hand and pointed towards another tent nearby, prompting them to run towards it.

Progress was being made, but it kept getting progressively difficult with the more guards walking around. Eventually they made it to the center of the camp, barely able to pass by a patrol that refused to change directions as they headed straight for them, but luckily did at the last second.

As they continued their trek across the camp, Finn was nearly caught when the tent he was walking past opened its flaps and two guards walked out. If it wasn't for Mike pulling him back and hiding him behind cover, they would've been spotted for sure.

"Be more careful," Mike said as the guards passed by.

"Thanks," Finn replied.

After multiple close calls, they finally made it to one of the busiest parts of the camp. Finn peeked his head around one of the tents and scouted the area. There were way too many guards to sneak around, and they were already too far inside the camp to find a way around. Finn was tapped on the shoulder from behind and turned around to see Phoebe. She raised her finger and pointed to a particular set of tents on the opposite side of the yard.

Between two of the tents was a cage, and in it was Phoebe's brother, Flint.

Finn was surprised at the sight. Even Flint was a prisoner of Flame King and the Syndicate. He stopped peeking and face Phoebe and Mike.

"Okay, we need to find a way to get to him," Finn said.

"How? There's too many guards," Phoebe replied.

"I'm inclined to agree with her on that one," Mike said.

Finn turned around and peeked his head once more. He scanned the area for any sort of way around without detection. There was none.

"This is gonna be tough," Finn said.

"Maybe we can just walk past," Phoebe said.

"Our disguises are good, but not _that_ good," Mike replied.

"It may be the only option we have," Finn said.

"And risk getting captured or killed? It's a damn convention out there; there's no way we can get across without being noticed by someone, much less once we get to this Flint guy," Mike explained.

"Maybe we can create a distraction," Phoebe said.

"With what? And how are we even supposed to create one when the entire area is being watched?" Mike asked.

"You are just a huge bundle of joy, you know that, Mike?" Finn said.

"I'm just telling it like it is," Mike replied.

"THE STEEDS ARE LOOSE!" one of the soldiers shouted.

The group peeked their heads over the side of the tent and saw the soldiers running in the opposite direction of a stampede of fire steeds. The horses neighed and stomped the ground with their hooves as they ran right through the tents, causing havoc among the soldiers.

"I guess that's a good distraction as any. Let move!" Finn shouted.

The group jumped from their hiding spot and began running across the field. All of the soldiers were too preoccupied with the horses to notice them, but every so often they would nearly get stomped on by the charging beasts. One of the horses charged by with a tent hanging from it and Finn would've been dragged away if Phoebe hadn't cut through it to get him out.

After a few close calls, the group managed to make it to the other side of the field. Finn made sure that no one had noticed them in the chaos then turned to Phoebe and Mike.

"That was close," he said.

"Yeah. I wonder who released the horses," Phoebe replied.

"Forgot about me?"

The group turned to the new voice and an invisible Marceline reappeared behind them.

"How long have you been there?" Finn asked.

"I've been flying beside you the whole time. I got bored of your arguing so I went ahead and caused some chaos," Marceline replied.

"Nice," Mike said.

"Well, we won't be doing much standing here. I'll keep an eye out, you all keep going," Marceline said as she turned invisible again.

The group then continued moving across the tents until they reached Flint's cage. The fire elemental was just sitting at the corner of the cage with his legs bent so his knees would touch his chest. Each of his hands were cuffed and tied to the cage's bars. He looked towards the group with a look of little interest.

"You don't look like regular fire soldiers. Who are you?" Flint asked. Finn removed his helmet to show his face, which made Flint laugh. "Well, well, if it isn't Diaper Guy. You've seen better days."

"I'm not here for jokes, Flint," Finn replied.

"Then why are you here? Everyone thought you were dead and whatever bastards my dad is now working with have taken my sister. If you came here to find out where she is, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"I already know where she is," Finn said.

The comment seemed to have gotten Flint's interest since he raised his head and eyebrows.

"Where?" he asked.

Finn just looked back towards Phoebe and nodded for her to step forward. Once she was inches from the cage's bars, she removed her helmet, revealing her face to Flint. The fire elemental's eyebrows lowered once more and his face was filled with anger.

"Is this some kind of a joke?!" he asked.

Phoebe knelt down so she was level with Flint's head.

"Flint, it's me," she said.

Flint took a good long look at her face and his expression began to soften. The longer he looked, the more she actually looked like his sister. He got up from the cage and walked towards the bars as Phoebe stood up as well.

"Is it really you?" he asked.

He put his hand through the bars and touched Phoebe on the cheek with the tip of his fingers. She had to step back, however, when the fire slightly burned her cheek and she winced from the contact.

"It's me. I'm just… different," Phoebe said.

Flint stared at her with his mouth agape.

"What happened to you?" Flint asked.

"We'll explain later, but right now we gotta go. We need whatever information you've gathered if we're gonna end this," Phoebe said.

Flint still seemed rather hesitant but otherwise nodded and agreed. Phoebe pulled out her sword and cut through the metal bars, making a hole big enough for Flint to pass through. She went inside the cage and cut Flints chains as well, freeing his hands.

Before anyone could say anything else, Marceline reappeared behind them.

"The soldiers are nearly done with the horses. We gotta go," she said.

Once Flint stepped out of the cage, Finn made sure if there were any soldiers in the area. Luckily, they were all still distracted as they gathered the horses. Going across the field once more, the group began to silently trek back the way they came back to the Candy Kingdom.

The whole group knelt behind a tent as they waited for a few soldiers to pass. While they waited, Phoebe looked back at Flint.

"Flint, do you know what happened to Cinnamon Bun?" she asked.

Flint closed his eyes and sighed.

"He's gone. There was nothing we could do by the time we reached him after the attack," he explained.

Phoebe simply nodded and looked back at the front of the group, grateful that her helmet hid the single tear flowing down her cheek. Once the soldiers passed, Finn gave the signal to keep moving.

The whole trip back had been going well so far, with the exception of a few close calls. They remained hidden behind another set of tents as a group of soldiers standing between them and the forest passed by.

"Home stretch," Mike said.

Once the soldiers passed, the group began moving quietly towards the forest. Finn, Mike, and Flint and gone through, and Marceline appeared beside them as well. Right before Phoebe could enter the forest, however, she was stopped dead in her tracks.

"Stop! Who goes there?!" a guard shouted as he aimed his spear at her and began getting closer. "You are not a normal fire citizen. What are you-"

Before the soldier could finish, Mike threw his sword from the tree line and impaled him right through the chest. Phoebe gasped as he saw his body fall to the ground and his eyelids close.

"No!" she shouted.

Finn jumped from the trees and grabbed her by the hand as Mike went to get his sword back and hide the body. Nearby chatter could be heard from the soldiers as they went to investigate Phoebe's shout, but were fortunately far enough to avoid getting noticed.

As they ran through the forest, Phoebe freed herself from Finn's grasp and quickly turned to punch Mike. The Sentinel fell to the ground and groaned as he struggled to get u.

"Why did you kill him?!" Phoebe asked.

"He was gonna alert the entire camp! What else could I do?" Mike asked.

"A lot of things besides killing him! These are my people and I won't have them blindly killed!" Phoebe shouted.

"Sister," Flint said, drawing her attention, "I admit it's not right, but we have to do what it takes to make sure our dad is brought down. Even if it means killing our own."

Phoebe still wasn't convinced. Right before she could continue arguing, Finn gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Phoebe, you know the risks. If we can stop this war, we'll be saving a lot more lives than if it continues the way it is," he said.

Phoebe didn't respond, but it was clear she wasn't gonna argue any further despite still being opposed to killing her own men. She nodded, and the group ran all the way back to Candy Kingdom.

* * *

Naturally, Flint had been tied to a chair once everyone reached the Candy Kingdom's castle. The banana guards grabbed him as soon as they went through the gate while wearing protective flame suits and carried him all the way to the princess's quarters. Finn and Phoebe tried to speak against it, but PB kept saying it was just in case.

"I'm not trusting any fire elemental until this is all resolved. He stays here," PB said.

"Fire proof chair, fire proof rope… You're prepared for anything, aren't you?" Flint said.

PB groaned in annoyance but had the courage to approach him.

"You've been around the Fire Kingdom's army long enough to know something. What is Flame King planning?" she asked.

"What he's always been planning: taking over this kingdom," Flint replied.

"But why now? There's no way the fire citizens would agree to this," Phoebe said.

"They do if you set things right beforehand," Flint replied.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"It started with my sister's kidnapping. Everyone was angry that their ruler had been taken away and were asking for whoever was responsible. And they got all the proof they needed when they found the body of a banana guard at the scene."

Finn remembered that day all too well. After Phoebe had been kidnapped and he had been left for dead, a banana guard's corpse was dropped onto the throne room.

"I tried to hold them back as much as possible, but every day people kept coming to the palace demanding war on the Candy Kingdom. Believe me, I would've done it, but I didn't for two reasons: I wanted to find my sister first, and I wanted to avoid bloodshed on our side by using the Fire Giant, which was taken. It was when my father arrived out of nowhere that things began getting complicated."

Flint adjusted his position on the chair and continued.

"A lot of people still preferred my father's rule over Phoebe's, so it didn't take long for him to win a large amount of supporters, even from the guards. He marched into the palace by force and either killed or kidnapped any who were still against him, myself included. And then, just like that, he declared war on the Candy Kingdom. That's all I know."

The whole group looked at each other and turned away from Flint, speaking in whispers so he couldn't hear them.

"Can we trust this guy? He could just be setting us up," Marceline said.

"A lot of what he's said makes sense. Plus, he's right about the banana guard. The Syndicate intentionally set up the Candy Kingdom and started a war," Finn explained.

"But what would the Syndicate gain from starting a war here on Ooo?" Phoebe asked.

"Cypher's grudge has always been against Olympia, so it doesn't make much sense. Though this could just be some sort of distraction. He knows about you, after all," Mike said while nodding at Finn. "Cypher has always been very unpredictable, and I wouldn't rule out any possibilities."

"If this man is responsible for putting my people and Phoebe's in danger, he's got another thing coming," PB said.

"Oh, I'll make sure he learns his manners," Marceline replied.

"또는 어쩌면 그는 그냥 데 도움이 됩니다. 누가 알아."

"Hmm, true. Let's just see where this goes," PB replied.

The group turned back to Flint as he waited their response.

"Alright Flint, we're willing to do whatever it takes to end this war. And you're gonna help us," Phoebe said.

"Seems fair. As long as I don't have to be tied to this chair anymore," Flint replied.

"Get comfy, cause you're staying there until tomorrow," Marceline said.

Flint just groaned in annoyance. The whole group gathered again in a circle and Phoebe spoke in a quiet voice.

"Okay, the Fire Kingdom will end the ceasefire tomorrow. When they do, we'll have hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers knocking our doorstep. I suggest we all get some rest. We're gonna need it."

* * *

Night had fallen all across Ooo hours after Flint's rescue. The view from the balcony Finn stood on showed the large orange glow in the distance covering the sky over the Grasslands.

The streets below were mostly empty, save for a very few amount of people. The kingdom seemed completely different than Finn had remembered. It almost seemed like a ghost town, and it would soon be gone unless the war came to a stop. And stopping it was easier said than done.

Finn sighed and went inside the palace, walking through the now deserted hallways as everyone else slept. He made sure not to make too much noise as he walked past some of the rooms in fear of alerting anyone inside. The only other people he ran into as he walked was the occasional guards keeping watch through the windows. One particular door in the hallway was still slightly open, and Finn walked inside.

It was the room assigned to him, Mike, and Phoebe. Phoebe was lying on her side on one of the two beds while Mike sat down on a desk near the back of the room. The only light entering the room was the moonlight from a window and some candles scattered along the floor.

As Finn walked over to lie in bed, he noticed Mike was holding something in his hand, though he still couldn't make out what it was. Taking the opportunity that Mike was looking away from him, Finn began to slowly walk towards him, hoping to get a good view of the item. A few feet away and Finn could make out the outline of a picture frame, but Mike noticed him and hid the picture before Finn could see it.

"Didn't hear you come in," Mike said.

"I was just taking a quick walk. What do you have there?" Finn asked.

"It's… it's nothing," Mike replied.

"Okay," Finn said as he nodded. He respected Mike's privacy and made his way towards the empty bed.

"Wait," Mike said, prompting Finn to stop. Mike sighed and said, "I'll… I'll show you."

Finn walked back towards Mike and he raised the picture he held.

In the picture there was a woman sitting on chair, smiling. She had pale skin, black hair, and emerald green eyes. In her lap sat an infant boy, with a tuff of blonde hair and the same green eyes as the woman. Finn studied the picture and his eye widened as he looked back at Mike.

"Is that…" Finn began.

"My wife… and my son," Mike replied.

Finn's eye remained fully open as he gazed at the picture than back at Mike.

"Then… why were you hitting on Phoebe that one time?" Finn asked.

Mike chuckled at his statement.

"You really need to learn when someone is just messing with you, Finn," Mike's smile slowly disappeared as he looked back down at the picture. "I once said that I made a promise never to come back down to Earth. I did suffer some problems the first time I came here, but that's not the reason I never came back. I had to think about what my death would mean to them both."

"Are they waiting for you at Olympia?" Finn asked.

"My son is. My wife died a year after this picture was taken, back when that damn disease hadn't taken away all of her beauty. My son is six years old now, and living with his aunt. I barely see him anymore, and she always says he hopes to see me walk through the door of the house one day."

"Where do they live?"

"Ruby district. One of the nicer parts of it, anyway."

Mike remained looking at the picture as Finn placed his hand on his shoulder.

"What's your son's name?" Finn asked.

"Ethan. His… his name is Ethan," Mike replied.

"We'll get back to Olympia and you'll see him again. I promise, Mike," Finn said.

Mike just looked up at Finn and smiled at him.

"You see, that's why I grew to hate you, Finn. You're the only real friend I have."

Finn simply chuckled and tapped Mike on the shoulder before heading back towards the bed. As he raised the covers and raised his leg over the edge, he noticed Phoebe had turned on her bed and was wide awake, looking at him.

Finn looked back towards the distracted Mike then stood back up as he headed towards her. He sat on the edge of the bed and Phoebe sat up as well as she rubbed her eye.

"How are you doing?" Finn asked.

Phoebe sighed and crossed her legs to sit better.

"You really wanna know?" she asked. Finn nodded. "I'm terrified. If my kingdom and this one go to war tomorrow, I'll have to kill some of my own people."

"If we can stop Flame King, those numbers will be very few," Finn replied.

Phoebe simply remained quiet before rubbing her other eye.

"I heard you and Mike talking," she said.

"I know," Finn replied.

"Do you think maybe we were wrong getting him involved in this?" she asked.

"Maybe… though at the time we didn't know. I promised him he would be back to see his son, and I plan to keep that promise."

The two of them remained silent for an uncomfortable amount of time before Finn began to get up from the bed.

"Well, I'll leave you to sleep," he said.

Before he could get too far, Phoebe grabbed him by the arm, making him look back down at her.

"Finn… leave the other bed to Mike. Will you sleep next to me tonight?" she asked.

Finn remained hesitant as he kept looking between the empty bed and the one Phoebe laid in.

"S-sure," he replied.

Phoebe placed her head back on her pillow as Finn lied down face-up on his side of the bed. As his eyes began closing, he felt Phoebe's hand rest on his arm and she snuggled closer to him.

"Goodnight, Finn," she said as she yawned.

"Goodnight, Phoebe," Finn replied.

Phoebe was already asleep by the time Finn had finished his sentence. His gaze remained on the room's ceiling for a while before he too closed his eye.

* * *

 **Note: The episode "Bun Bun" is proof that Glob still lives.**

 **I just wanna point some stuff out. This is my first attempt at writing in Korean, so forgive anyone who can understand it if the sentences don't make much sense. Also, I know Flame King is technically "good" now, but I'm still going for the angry tyrant role. Anyway, see you in the next chapter.**

 **Ooobserver: He might remain fully intact. Who knows?**

 **CoolDudeAgent: Let's hope they can pull through.**


	22. Chapter 22: War on the Homefront

**Chapter 22: War on the Homefront**

"What do you mean they're gone?!" Nora shouted at Victor.

"I mean they're gone, Your Majesty. They were nowhere to be seen the entire day we were looking, and the two unconscious guards from the security room say it was them that broke inside and erased the footage," Victor explained.

Nora grunted in annoyance as she turned away from Victor, looking up at the statue of the Ziz Bird standing above her throne. Seph was standing near Christine towards the side of the room, who was also just as worried as her mother regarding Finn's whereabouts. On each side of the throne were Nora's personal guard, but they were the only other people in the room. Nora calmed down a bit and looked back to Victor.

"Are you saying that Finn, my son, and two other Sentinels committed treason against us?" she asked.

"I don't think I'd go as far as calling it treason, but something close to it. I told them about the current war on Earth and they weren't exactly happy to hear the news. I believe they were only hoping to help in somehow stopping the war," Victor replied.

"But why would Mike go?" Christine asked.

"That, I cannot answer," Victor replied.

"So… am I to understand that my son, the son I thought for all these years was dead, is now in danger of dying for real as he goes to a war?" Nora asked.

"That would be my assumption," Victor replied.

"However, as much as you don't want to hear this, it's still possible they went to join the Syndicate as well," Seph said.

Christine looked to Seph with her eyes wide, but Nora only grew more enraged.

"How dare you think my son could be a traitor?! After what the Syndicate did to him, you think he would turn on us and join them?!"

"But you must understand, the Syndicate have one of his closest friends from Earth held hostage. Tell me, wouldn't you do the same if it meant saving someone you cared about. After all, we're not entirely sure what fully went down when they were stranded in the desert. They told us, but it's hard to know when you're being lied to. You should know better than anyone about lying," Seph explained.

"You better watch how you speak to your queen!" Nora shouted, prompting her guards to walk next to her with their spears raised. "I will not have those events be mentioned in this palace or anywhere else ever again! And need I remind you it was you who failed to stop Cypher and save the lives of my parents?!"

"Mom, that's enough!" Christine shouted.

Nora looked towards her daughter and noticed a single tear going down her cheek. Nora realized Christine had never actually seen Nora act this way, and even she herself found it hard to grasp that she had snapped like that. Despite this, Seph remained as calm and collected as ever, waiting for the queen's next move.

"I… I'm sorry, Christine. I…" Nora tried explaining, but then turned to Seph. "Seph, I'm… I'm so sorry I…"

"You don't need to be," Seph said.

"No, I am," Nora replied. "I know we've had our differences in the past, especially when it came to Finn and Martin, but you've done a lot of good for the Sentinels and this city over the years. I should be grateful."

Seph simply nodded. Christine walked towards Nora and hugged her once she calmed down. Nora returned the hug as well and the two guards lowered their spears.

"If I may, I think we should get back to our current situation," Victor said.

"Agreed," Nora replied as she let go of Christine and wiped away the tear on the girl's cheek.

"With your permission, I would like to take a few Sentinels with me and track down the Rookie and the others," Seph said.

"You may do what you want. Just… make sure he gets back home safely," Nora replied.

"Come on, Mom, you should probably rest for a bit," Christine said.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Nora replied. She then turned to Victor and Seph. "The two of you are relieved."

Victor and Seph both bowed their heads and began making their way outside the palace. Upon reaching the tunnel to Guardian District, Victor stopped Seph and turned him around.

"What were you thinking, Seph?!" Victor asked.

"I'm just narrowing the possibilities. You can't say there's a hundred percent chance that the Rookie wouldn't turn traitor," Seph replied.

"I'm talking about your little discussion with the queen. You would call her a liar?" Victor asked.

"I'm not saying she's a liar. I'm just saying she once lied. But that lie may cost us just as much now as it did back then if the Syndicate find out about the Rookie. If they haven't already," Seph replied.

"I get it. But try to be more subtle next time, will you?" Victor said.

"No promises," Seph replied.

As Seph began walking away, Victor grabbed his shoulder again.

"Seph, Finn is not our enemy," Victor said.

"I thought the same thing about Cypher once," Seph replied.

Seph continued his walk down the tunnel and Victor followed behind, but not before rubbing his eyes in frustration.

* * *

Finn was woken up by the sound of battle horns and shouts coming from outside. The noises made him quickly sit on the bed and look around, only to find Phoebe already up and looking out the window at the fields outside the city, where the Fire Kingdom army started its march.

"It's starting," Phoebe said.

Finn quickly got up and went to wake up Mike, who groaned from being forced awake but nonetheless got up as soon as he also heard the commotion.

"This day is gonna suck," Mike said.

The three of them put on their power armor and went out of the room through the palace halls as large numbers of soldiers and civilians ran past them, shouting things that were nearly impossible to understand with all the commotion. Once they made it to the throne room, they found PB talking Rattleballs as Marceline, Lady, and waited near them. Flint was also there, who was apparently untied.

The throne room wasn't very organized either between the people making their way inside the palace and all the guards posted throughout. The group walked towards PB as the crowd ran past them and they could barely overhear their conversation.

"Is everything in place?" PB asked Rattleballs.

"Yes, princess. The walls should hold out for a while longer, but I fear this could be the day they break through," Rattleballs replied.

"That won't be happening. Go to the wall and prepare the soldiers. We'll deal with the rest," PB explained.

Rattleballs slightly bowed and covered his face with his hood as he rushed out the door. Finn and the others joined PB after he was gone.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Rattleballs might be right. Those walls can't hold on for another attack," PB said.

"If we can get to Flame King, all of this will be over with little bloodshed, if possible," Finn said.

"That won't be easy. Not only is he way behind the army, but his elite guard are with him," Flint explained.

"What kind of coward hides behind his army? Shouldn't he be in the front lines?" Marceline said.

"My father would never do that. All he cares about is winning no matter what. Even if it means the deaths of his own men," Phoebe said.

"We'll draw him out, then," Mike said.

Another horn sounded in the distance, this time closer than the last.

"They're getting close. I have to make sure the gate is secure," PB said.

"당신은 하지 거 야 혼자."

"Yeah, me and Lady will go with you," Marceline said.

PB wanted to argue but the sound of approaching horns filled the air. Knowing there was no time to convince them otherwise, she accepted Lady's and Marceline's help.

"Okay, let's go. You know what to do, right Finn?" PB asked.

"Yeah, we're on it," Finn replied.

PB nodded and led the way as Lady and Marceline followed her out of the palace. Finn turned to face Phoebe, Mike, and Flint as they awaited his orders.

"Alright, we have to hold back the Fire Kingdom as long as we can. Once that's done and their numbers drop, we make our way to Flame King's base and we end this. You all ready?" Finn asked.

The entire group nodded. Finn waved his hand and the group followed him as they ran through the kingdom on the way towards the wall. There were still several civilians outside, either packing their things to take with them to the palace or already running to the palace themselves. Finn stopped for a split second to help a man who fell while running and kept moving.

It was clear the fire army was right in front of the kingdom even without being able to see them. The horns were loud and there was and orange aura protruding over the top of the wall. Most of the banana guards were already posted near the wall and on top of it, either ready to fight or ready to run away.

Finn and the group shot their hooks towards the top of the wall and repelled themselves up as Flint simply flew towards them. Once they were at the top of the wall, they had clear view at the massive army in front of them.

A long line of soldiers with shields, spears, and heavy armor ran across the first row, while the rest of the soldiers behind were all wielding their swords, axes, bows, and the Fire Kingdom flags. The first row kept hitting their shields with their spears, creating a thundering rhythm of metal hitting metal while all the rest chanted war cries and sounded their horns of battle. There were also several catapults placed along the fire army's sides. There was also a battering ram in the center of the army.

Finn looked around at their own line of soldiers below on the other side of the wall. Just like the fire soldiers, they were equipped with their spears and shields, but their armor wasn't as effective. Bow men stood ready behind them, along with the remaining Gumball Guardian standing between the two armies and the gate. The men atop the wall were ready with catapults and their own bows, ready to fire as soon as the order was given.

The biggest concern, however, was the fear in everyone's eyes. It was perfectly clear they wanted to run, to surrender, and that would ultimately guarantee their defeat. Despite this, they each held their ground as the army came to a sudden halt in front of the kingdom, and everything went completely silent as the soldiers finished their chanting and the horns were no longer being played.

Finn looked to his side to find the rest of his group. All of them seemed ready to fight, even Mike, though Phoebe still seemed worried.

"We'll end this with as little bloodshed as possible, Phoebe. I promise," Finn said.

"Let's hope you're right. Cause there's a lot of them out there; and I have a feeling we're only seeing half the army," Phoebe replied.

All of the Sentinels put on their helmets to hide their faces. Soon after, PB, Lady, Marceline, and Rattleballs joined them atop of the wall. PB and Rattleballs dismounted Lady and stood beside Finn, looking down at the army below.

"They are _not_ taking this kingdom," PB said.

The two armies remained in complete silence, each staring at the opposition as they prepared to jump into action at any given moment. The only sound was the repeating stomping of footsteps coming from behind the fire army, getting closer and the source becoming more through the orange glow the closer it got.

From inside the fire army came four fire golems, making the ground shake with their steps as the soldiers moved aside to let them pass. Several of the banana guards grew even more uneasy at the sight, but remained where they stood. The golems stopped a few rows behind the front line, but the soldiers kept moving out of the way as fifth small figure came riding on a fire steed towards the front.

Once the strange being was in full view in front of the army, everyone, including Finn grinded their teeth as the steed came to a full stop, revealing Cypher as being the rider.

"Lovely day for war, is it not?" Cypher shouted from below.

"Cypher! Why am I not surprised?" Finn replied.

"I figured I'd lend these people a hand in getting the justice they crave," Cypher said.

"Justice? Since when do you care about justice? It was you who attacked the Fire Kingdom!" Phoebe shouted.

"You're mistaken. The evidence to prove the Candy Kingdom's guilt has been brought to light. You've even turned one of the Fire Kingdom's own soldiers against it. You just want to continue denying the fact that you see every other kingdom below your own," Cypher replied.

The entire army behind him cheered in agreement. Phoebe growled and was about to remove her helmet but was stopped by Mike.

"Right now, your people won't hear what any of us have to say. Don't show your face just yet," he said.

Phoebe lowered her arm and stared back at Cypher.

' _What are you playing at, Cypher? What can you gain from this war?'_ Finn thought.

"Now," Cypher said, "I believe we should get this started. Unless your kingdom chooses to surrender to us."

Before another word was uttered, Cypher extended his right arm towards the right. From the wall's point of view, it seemed like he was grabbing something, but there was nothing in his grip to be seen. That is, until he unleashed a shock of red electricity through his arm and a loud pain driven screech filled the air as Marceline turned visible as he neck was in Cypher's grip.

"Marceline!" PB shouted.

The electric shocks stopped and Marceline was just left dangling unconscious as he axe-bass dropped on the ground.

"Do you think this is a game?!" Cypher shouted. "Do you think I can be beaten by a simple stab to the back?! You already know you can't beat me, Finn! And I don't plan on dropping dead until I've broken each and every one of you!"

He dropped Marceline's unconscious body hard against the ground. A single tear came down PB's cheek as he saw her get dragged away by two fire soldiers.

"Give her back!" Finn shouted.

"You want her? Then come get her. Assuming you're all still alive when this is over," Cypher replied.

Cypher pulled out his sword and aimed it forward at the Fire Kingdom. The archers below aimed their bows and a volley of arrows came raining down on the wall.

"Get down!" Finn shouted.

The nearby banana guards raised their shields and covered themselves from the volley of arrows, but some were unfortunate enough to still be struck. The arrows aimed at the Gumball Guardian simply ricocheted off of him, leaving him unfazed.

Cypher continued watching from below as the army behind him prepared to fire another volley. PB got up from her cover and quickly turned to their own archers on top of the wall and behind it.

"Fire now!" she shouted.

The archers all raised their bows as well, and both armies sent their volleys at the same time. Each side raised their shields as the arrows flew by one another in opposite directions, hitting each of the opposing sides. Cypher was able to catch an arrow in mid-air as it headed straight for his head, but that didn't stop some of the defenseless fire soldiers from getting hit.

After the storm of arrows stopped, the fire soldiers on the frontline pointed their spears forward as they covered themselves with their shields and began walking forward. Meanwhile, the Gumball Guardian was focusing all of his projectiles on the fire golems as they fired back. Luckily, the Gumball Guardian was mostly resistant to their attacks, but they weren't gonna go down very easily.

With the Gumball Guardian distracted, the fire soldiers were able to reach the opposition and their shields met as each side tried pushing the other back. Each army fired another volley of arrows, and just like before, each side met with multiple wounded or killed. It also didn't help the Candy Kingdom that its walls were being bombarded by stones from the catapults.

PB was able to barely miss getting shot as she peeked over the wall at the soldiers below. The banana guards were still holding the line, but the fire soldiers outnumbered them, and they would soon reach the gate. She then looked up at the Gumball Guardian, who was still fighting back the staggering fireballs of the golems.

While the Gumball Guardian was distracted, the fire soldiers were able to push through the front lines easily, and made a clear path for the battering ram to get through. The golems provided easy passage for them to pass right underneath the guardian and made it to the front gate, wasting no time in beginning to use the ram to attempt to break through.

As the ram continuously hit the gate, the banana guards inside the city all pushed themselves against it as they tried delaying their entry. PB grinded her teeth and looked towards the rest of the group.

"We need to deal with those fire golems if the guardian is gonna have any chance of helping out with the soldiers," PB said.

"Alright. You guys up to that?" Finn asked Phoebe and Mike.

Phoebe took longer to agree than Mike, but both were ready to go. PB then turned to Rattleballs and pointed towards the catapults.

"And Rattleballs, if you can, I want you to disable those catapults whenever possible," she said.

"Understood. I might not be able to take out all of them, but I can at least buy some time," Rattleballs replied.

"나도 도울 수 있다."

"No. I want you to stay here. In fact, you should probably get off the wall and head back to the keep," PB replied.

"나 안가 모든 생명을 위험 하는 동안에 다시 앉아! 싸우는 거 야 그리고 그것은 그것의 끝 이다! "

PB sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Alright, but no fighting just yet. Just help Rattleballs get to the catapults," PB replied.

"I'll go with them," Flint said.

"Very well. But do not attempt anything," Rattleballs replied.

Flint nodded and Lady flew right next to Rattleballs so he could climb on. Once he did, he placed his closed fist against his chest while facing the group, then Lady and Flint began flying across the sky and over the fire army.

Finn, Phoebe, and Mike all stood at the edge of the wall once the next volley of arrows was fired and jumped off, grappling on to the trees on the right side of the fire army. There was no doubt the fire soldiers had spotted them, but they were too busy covering themselves from the arrows to take action on them. Though the one Finn feared would attack was Cypher, but the man just remained seated on his horse as the Sentinels flew over him.

"Fly, little birds. Fly," Cypher whispered.

The Sentinels landed among the trees and scouted the four fire golems. Each of them still stood, though it was clear they were starting to get worn out. Unfortunately, the Gumball Guardian was in worse condition and wouldn't last much longer under the constant punishment of fireballs.

Finn aimed his grappling hook at the nearest one and impaled it to the side of its head, causing the large golem to stop his attack and turn its head. Finn pulled himself in and aimed straight for its neck, effectively removing a portion of it and casing a large stream of lava to pour out of the wound as the golem roared and fell to the ground.

Phoebe took out the next one by aiming for its ankles first, then its elbow when it tried to grab her. Once that was done, she pulled herself towards its face and stabbed her sword into its eye, then its other. She couldn't bear the sound of its pained roars, but she held on to her sword as the golem fell to its knees and fell back on top of any soldiers unlucky enough to get out of the way in time.

Mike was grabbed by the foot when heading towards the third golem, but he was able to cut of two of its fingers and broke free from its grasp. His grappling hook was snatched from place and he was forced to run up the golem's arm before it attempted to grab him again. After ducking and making his way towards the golem's head, Mike ran his sword straight through its neck, then through the top of its head as it covered its previous wound. He jumped off and landed back on its body once it fell to the ground.

The last golem was left at the hands of the Gumball Guardian, who was now free enough to focus all its power on it. The guardian opened its mouth and a large green beam came shooting out of it, going right through the golem's head and disintegrating the entire thing. Its body landed on the two remaining catapults that Lady, Flint, and Rattleballs were yet to take out.

With the golems gone, the Gumball Guardian focused on attacking the soldiers below. It waved his leg towards the ram at the gate and kicked it away, sending it flying a great distance away. Once that was done, the guardian reopened its mouth and began shooting at the rest of the soldiers. They all screamed as they took steps back to avoid every beam the guardian shot at them.

"Retreat!" a fire soldier shouted.

The banana guards cheered as the fire soldiers began to step away from the wall. The Sentinels Lady, Flint, and Rattleballs also joined them soon after. Cypher, who was the only one left that didn't retreat, just looked towards the cowering soldiers and grunted in annoyance.

"Useless," he mumbled.

Cypher pulled out his sword and stood up on top of the horse as he aimed his own grappling hook at the Gumball Guardian. As Cypher pulled himself towards the guardian, it attempted to grab him with its remaining hand in mid-air, only to have it also be cut off as Cypher swung his sword. Once he reached the guardian's head, he sliced through the glass and landed back on the ground in front of it.

Everyone from both sides stared silently as the Gumball Guardian stood completely motionless before the top of its head began to slide off from the clean diagonal cut Cypher had made. The head landed on the ground and shattered, and the rest of the guardian's body followed soon after.

Cypher just raised both his hands in the air and bowed as everyone continued staring.

"Let the war continue!" he shouted.

The fire soldiers cheered and began running back towards the Candy Kingdom. Cypher hooked on to one of the towers located inside the Candy Kingdom and sat down at the very top as he watched the battle unfold. It was clear to everyone at this point that he wasn't taking sides. He was just a spectator. Once the fire soldiers reached the wall, they began to raise the long siege ladders they brought forth.

All of the banana guards watched in fear as the ladders were placed and fire soldiers began to climb on top of the wall. Finn and the rest of the group got ready as the soldiers cut through the banana guards and managed to reach them from both sides of the wall. The entire group fought back the waves of soldiers that continued storming up the wall. Mike and Rattleballs were able to knock down some of the ladders, making their job easier, but there were still plenty of them left to cut down before they were fully safe.

"We gotta get down from the wall. There's too many of them!" Flint shouted.

None of them had to think twice before making their way down as soon as possible. The Sentinels and Rattleballs simply jumped off the wall into the city while Flint flew down next to Lady as she carried PB down. None of them were safe, however, when the fire soldiers began to climb down the wall using ropes and began attacking the banana guards guarding the main gate.

"We can't let them get inside!" PB shouted.

"They won't," Finn replied.

Finn ran forward and began attacking the guards heading towards the gate from the inside. He took out one of them just as he was going to stab a banana guard from behind and then another as he attempted to attack Finn. Phoebe joined him a second later as she took out another that cam inches from hitting Finn from behind with an axe.

The rest of the group joined in and continued taking out fire soldiers left and right as the banana guards continued to bar the main gate as it kept getting pushed from the outside. Finn could see the wood bending with each chant that came from the fire soldiers every time they pushed.

While being distracted, Finn was barely scraped by a sword across the arm from another soldier before he was able to jump back. As the soldier shouted and ran towards Finn. Mike stepped in and tackled the soldier to the ground before impaling him with his sword. Mike turned back to Finn and pointed towards the city.

"Look!" Mike shouted.

Finn turned and saw several fire soldiers making their way further inside the city rather than running for the gate. He grunted and began taking chase after them through the narrow streets.

The fire soldiers moved incredibly fast due to their fire powers and Finn was beginning to lose them. The only trace of them left were the burn marks on the ground. Finn followed them for the duration of a few minutes, all while still listening to the roars of the approaching army from outside the city. The b urn mark ended at the entrance to an abandoned building, where the boards leading inside through the doorway had been busted through.

Finn slowed down his pace once he entered the building due to the lack of light. The building looked like a bar, but all of the glasses had been broken and the table and chairs were all toppled over on the ground. The small pieces of glass made it difficult to sneak around without stepping on them, even though Finn was fairly sure there were no soldiers in the main room due to the lack of an orange glow. There was a bottle knocked over and Finn raised his sword at the noise, but it turned out to be a rat. Once he reached the opposite end of the room, he made his way upstairs.

Each step creaked whenever he stepped on one, which only served to make him frustrated. Upon reaching the top, he came across a long hallway filled with multiple bedrooms on each side. He peeked his head inside each door he came across but each one ended up being empty or made a complete mess, and none with the fire soldiers Finn was looking for.

It came down to the final door at the end of the hallway, which was the only one that was fully locked. He reached in slowly with his hand and placed it on the doorknob while holding his sword up with his other hand. He took a deep breath and began to turn the knob, only for him to be grabbed by the throat when a hand broke through the wood.

Finn began choking as he attempted to break free from the hands grasp, but it was too strong for him to pull the fingers apart. He was able to notice the hand wasn't made of fire, it was instead metal; but he wasn't able to study it long before the hand threw him back down the hall and made him land on his back. He coughed as he stood back up and the door opened, revealing the glowing red eyes of the person who had grabbed him.

"You really are too easy to fool," Cypher said.

Finn grinded his teeth as he looked behind Cypher and saw the bodies of the soldiers he chased lying on the floor. Cypher unsheathed his sword as Finn reached for his on the ground. Just as Finn was able to grab it, however, Cypher kicked him across the chest and sent him flying against the wall, making the wood crack from the force of the hit.

Cypher the tip of his sword towards Finn as he tried to stab him, but Finn rolled out of the way in time as the sword impaled the wall instead. Finn swung his own sword downwards towards Cypher's head, but he was able to jump out in time once he retrieved his sword from the wall.

Finn swung his sword sideways and it connected with Cypher's own sword, sending sparks flying and illuminating the dark hallway. Cypher raised his fist and aimed to punch Finn in the head, but he was stopped when Finn raised his own hand and grabbed Cypher's fist. The two of them attempted to push the other away but they were both stuck in the same place as they pushed at the same time.

"You're as stubborn as your old man. Always digging his nose where it didn't belong and never quitting to get what he wanted. He was so annoying sometimes," Cypher said.

"And I won't stop until I stop you and get Jake back!" Finn replied, not letting Cypher distract him.

"Don't worry, Finn. You'll see your precious mutt again soon enough," Cypher replied.

Cypher swiped his leg and Finn was knocked to the ground. Before he was stabbed, Finn rolled out of the way as Cypher's blade pierced the ground instead. Upon finishing the roll, Finn stood up and readied his sword as Cypher readied his.

* * *

Phoebe knocked a fire soldier down with her elbow as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Once he was on the ground, she quickly turned and drove her sword straight through his chest, effectively putting him down for good.

She looked towards the gate, which was almost at the point of breaking but still holding, and the rest of the group as they finished fighting off the remaining soldiers. Lady had been able to fly by all the ladders and knocked them off the wall, preventing them from climbing into the city any further. She took a sigh of relief as she knelt to catch her breath.

All around her was the multitude of bodies of the soldiers they had killed, along with the several bodies of the defending banana guards. She turned her head away hoping to get the sight out of her head but they were everywhere. The whole group eventually joined her and they too sat down to rest.

"How much longer can that gate hold?" Mike asked.

"Not long. But we can at least buy enough time for the citizens to get to safety," PB replied.

"Is there a way out of the kingdom?" Rattleballs asked.

"Not exactly. It's a safety bunker located right underneath the palace. The entrance is well hidden, so they shouldn't have a problem being found. There's enough resources down there to keep the kingdom well fed for weeks," PB explained.

"그리고 그것을 모두 밖으로 실행 하는 경우?"

"Even if they manage to take the kingdom today, I don't plan on leaving it in their hands for too long," PB replied.

"Easier said than done. My father will try and make sure it stays in his control," Flint said.

"Unless we take him down," Phoebe replied.

"The gate is still not breached. We'll talk about that when-"

Before PB could finish, they noticed the fire soldiers had stopped pushing on the gate. The banana guards remained pushed up against it just in case, but there was no force being placed on the gate anymore from the outside.

"Have they stopped?" Mike asked.

No one could tell for certain, seeing as how the sound of the chanting army could still be heard clearly beyond the wall. To add further tension, the ground beneath them began shaking. It wasn't constant shaking, however, it was repeated stomping on the ground that got louder and stronger by the second. The fire soldiers outside cheered and shouted.

"Get away from the gate!" PB shouted.

The banana guards were too late to move before another fire golem smashed through the main gate with its body, effectively breaking part of the wall in the process.

The blast knocked the entire group and banana guards to the ground, along with covering the streets with smoke from the enormous impact. Phoebe continuously rolled on the ground until her back hit a wall from one of the buildings, bringing her to a rough stop. Her vision was blurry and obstructed by the smoke, so she couldn't see where the rest pf the group had landed. The only thing she could see was the outline of the fire golem as it roared towards the sky.

As the smoke cleared, Phoebe could also make out the bright orange glow of the fire soldiers as they began storming in through the gate. Two soldiers that were ahead of the rest were running towards her with their swords raised, ready to strike her down. If it wasn't for Flint jumping in and fighting them off, Phoebe wouldn't have been able to fight them back before getting up.

She was still a bit dizzy and her ears were ringing, but she was able to help Flint take out the two guards before they took him out instead. Flint placed a hand on Phoebe's shoulder and tried speaking to her through her helmet.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm fine," she replied.

The sound of footsteps from the rest of the army caught their attention as soldier after soldier made their way inside the city. Flint grabbed Phoebe's hand and began leading her through the streets further inside.

"We have to get to the palace," he said.

"But what about the others?" Phoebe asked.

Shortly after, they ran into PB, Lady, and Rattleballs as Lady landed on the street carrying them both. PB appeared to be unconscious from the blast while Rattleballs and Lady only got a few cuts and bruises, or dents in Rattleball's case.

"Where's Mike? And where's Finn?!" Phoebe asked.

"Mike was lost in the blast. I cannot say where Finn is," Rattleballs said.

The fire soldiers were beginning to march further into the city, burning down the buildings as they went through every street. Whatever building wasn't left burning was crushed under the weight of the fire golem.

"We have to go!" Flint said.

"We have to find Finn!" Phoebe replied.

Flint grabbed Phoebe by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Phoebe, there's nothing we can do. He's gone!" Flint said.

Suddenly, Finn himself was sent flying out the window of the second floor of a building, landing on the street and groaning as he struggled to get back up.

"Finn!" Phoebe shouted.

She ran towards him and helped him stand up.

"Cypher… he's…"

Finn couldn't finish as the fire soldiers could be seen approaching them from the end of the street at alarming speed. Everyone began taking steps back and braced as the soldiers raised their swords to strike them down, but from one of the many alleys came Mike, who cut the first line of soldiers down in a single swoop, causing the rest to stop.

Two soldiers charged him at once but he took them down quickly before a third and fourth one caught him off guard. Soldier after soldier tried to stab him but he continuously cut them down. As the rest hesitated, Mike turned to the group.

"Get to the palace! I'll-"

And in a split second, nothing else came from Mike's mouth as Cypher jumped out from the same window as Finn and ran his sword straight through Mike's back, silencing the Sentinel.

"MIKE!" Finn shouted.

Cypher retracted his sword and Mike's lifeless body fell to the ground, staining it with the red of his blood. They couldn't see his face because of his helmet, but Finn had no trouble imagining his lifeless eyes underneath. Cypher raised his sword forward and the fire soldiers continued their charge.

"I'll kill you, Cypher!" Finn shouted.

Finn began running towards the soldiers but was stopped by Flint, Rattleballs, and Phoebe.

"Finn, stop! We gotta go!" Phoebe said.

The group pulled Finn back and began dragging him away towards the palace. When Cypher was fully out of sight, Finn growled and began running on his own towards the palace's front gate. Lady opened it and carried PB inside as Finn closed it when he came in last, taking one last angry look at the army running towards them, and the single glimpse of Cypher among them.

Cypher chuckled as the fire soldiers ran past him. He couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the destruction, and it helped to better his mood even more when he looked down on Mike's body.

"Cower away, little wolves. The lion wins this day."

* * *

 **Guest:** _ **Finn-I'm working on it!**_

 **Ooobserver: Yeah, about that dynamic...**

 **Fiery Crusader: It's good to see you reviewing again. I wish you luck in finishing your stories.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: There's still the possibilities. We'll have to see soon enough.**


	23. Chapter 23: Counterattack

**Chapter 23: Counterattack**

The VTOL's blades came to a stop and the wind they once produced stopped shaking all of the trees. The side door of the aircraft opened and out came Seph along with Alan and Elaine.

The sun was on the verge of completely setting, making sneaking around that much easier. From their current location they could see well the destruction currently taking place inside the Candy Kingdom. The whole of the fire army was making its way inside the gates and tearing down anything in their path. The three of them knelt by the nearest tree and observed the chaos.

"Is it safe to assume they're in there?" Alan asked.

"No doubt about it. Though I don't see how they could get out of that mess," Seph replied.

Elaine sighed in frustration.

"I guess it's up to us then," she said.

"Me," Seph said as he turned to face them. "You two stay here and keep the VTOL safe. If I'm not back by tomorrow afternoon, you're free to pursue Phoebe, Mike, and the Rookie."

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Alan asked.

"What do you plan on doing?" Elaine.

"In case you haven't noticed, sneak through a war zone," Seph replied. "Now do what I say."

Alan and Elaine looked at each other and then nodded.

"Very well, sir," Alan said.

The twins both went back inside the VTOL. Seph took one last quick breath before beginning to make his way forward.

' _What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into, Rookie?'_

* * *

The metal walls, dim lighting, and constant dripping noises from the pipes served only to make everyone uneasy.

It was only the first day and everyone already hated the place. Despite its surprising numerous amount of space, bedrooms, and food, it didn't fit the environment everyone in the Candy Kingdom had grown accustomed to.

The bunker underneath the Candy Kingdom's palace wasn't exactly comfortable either, but it was all the people had to deal with in the coming days of the Fire Kingdom's occupation. Among the people running around to find their rooms and items were Finn, Phoebe, and Flint. Lady and Rattleballs sought to get medical attention for PB, so they were forced to separate.

The cheers and roars of the fire army could be heard coming from above as they celebrated their victory, further adding to everyone's discomfort at the loss of their homes. Finn saw people setting into their rooms as they passed by the residential hall. Everyone gave bad looks at Flint as he passed by, but he didn't allow them to get to him as he kept his eyes forward.

At the end of the hall was an empty room, which Finn entered and sat down on one of the two beds inside. The rooms were about as big as the ones in Olympia; small beds and one bathroom with a shower, a toilet, and a sink. That was all. Phoebe peeked her head in through the doorway and looked to Finn.

"I think I might stay with Flint, is that okay?" she asked.

"You do whatever you want," Finn replied without looking at her.

Phoebe just nodded and closed the door to his room. She sighed and rubbed both sides of her head with her fingers to ease the headache she had. All she wanted to be in total silence, but the large groups of people and constant chatter made it hard to find a room.

"I'll go look for a room. If I find anything, I'll let you know," Flint said.

"Are you sure you won't cause trouble?" Phoebe asked.

"I think these people would think twice about touching someone made of fire," Flint replied.

"Okay, but I might be here a while. I'll just find you later," Phoebe said.

"Suit yourself," Flint replied.

Flint left and disappeared behind the crowd. Phoebe rested by leaning in on the wall right next to Finn's door, going back to rubbing her head. She gasped when she was startled by a loud scream coming from inside Finn's room, followed by a noise like something made of glass breaking, and then another crash. It was clear something was wrong, so Phoebe leaned off the wall and reached for the doorknob.

Phoebe opened the door and quickly closed it behind her as she saw Finn repeatedly punching the wall, leaving a dent on it. He had taken his armor off, so his knuckles were bleeding and leaving stains on the wall. Judging by the large amount of glass on the bathroom floor and the broken mirror, Phoebe knew the source of the cuts. However, punching the wall seemed to be making them worse.

"Finn? Finn, stop it!" Phoebe said.

Finn either ignored her or didn't hear her as he continued to mercilessly punch the wall, grunting in anger with every single hit. This was the angriest Phoebe had ever seen Finn, and she was afraid to even get close to him; but she found the courage to do so and gently placed a hand on top of Finn's shoulder.

"Finn, I know you're angry, but-"

"Angry?!" Finn said as he stopped punching and turned to her, showing his teeth. "I'm more than angry! I promised him… I promised Mike that he would be back in Olympia to see his son and now he's dead. He's dead… AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

He turned around and went back to punching the wall.

"It's not your fault, Finn. You tried…" Phoebe said.

"Don't try to use sympathy on me, Phoebe! I fought as much as I could and I still couldn't beat Cypher! I was the one who convinced Mike to come down here! I got Mike killed and Cypher still lives because I didn't try my best! I let Mike die!"

Phoebe raised her palm and slapped Finn straight across the face, nearly knocking him towards the ground.

"I let Mike die too, Finn! I was there when we made him come with us, remember? But that doesn't mean it was our fault. He volunteered to come," Phoebe replied.

Finn took several deep breaths and slowly began to calm down. Once he had, Phoebe was able to move him until he sat down on one of the beds, where he continued to breathe deeply.

Meanwhile, Phoebe went inside the bathroom and opened the cabinet behind the broken mirror and pulled out some medical supplies. Once she had everything she needed, she sat back down next to Finn on the bed and began to bandage his cuts.

"I just… I just feel like there's _something_ I could've done to save him," Finn said.

"There probably was. But if we had tried anything, we would've been dead as well," Phoebe replied.

"Better him than us, is what you're saying," Finn said, turning to face her with an angry glare.

"That's not at all what I'm saying. We barely managed to get out with our lives, but Mike held them back long enough for us to get away. He saved us. And I don't think he would've appreciated us throwing our lives away blindly afterwards," Phoebe explained.

Finn's expression of anger dropped and he just looked down towards the floor. After several more minutes of remaining in silence, Phoebe finished bandaging his cuts and making Finn close and open his fingers to test it out.

"Better?" Phoebe asked.

Finn nodded. He expected Phoebe to lave again, and for a moment it seemed like she would, but she instead stayed sitting next to him.

"You should probably go to Flint. He's probably looking for you," Finn said.

"I think I've changed my mind," Phoebe replied. "If it's alright with you, I think I'll sleep in this room."

Finn looked up and faced her.

"You don't have to. I'll be fine," he replied.

"I know," Phoebe replied. "But I'm still sleeping here."

Finn sighed and didn't argue any further. Phoebe got up from the bed and moved to the other, looking up at the clock mounted up on the wall.

"Speaking of sleeping, we should probably get to it. It's late and we have a lot to do tomorrow," she said.

Without bothering to use the bathroom or take off his clothes, Finn laid on his side facing away from her and attempted to fall asleep. While he rested, Phoebe went inside the bathroom, took off her power armor, and took a quick shower with the ice cold water.

Finn was still lying in the same position on his bed when she got back. Upon finishing drying her hair, she turned off the lights in the room and laid down on her bed until she fell asleep; the silence making way once more to the cheering of the fire soldiers above.

* * *

Phoebe groaned as she rubbed her eyes the next morning. At least she thought it was morning since there was no sunlight. The clock on the wall was difficult to read in the darkness, but she could make out it saying 5:39 AM. She let out a yawn and began to sit up on the bed and placed her feet on the ground, shivering from feeling the cold metal.

Upon standing up completely, but not before nearly tripping over from how groggy she was, she walked over to the light switch. Before she turned it on, she noticed the faint light coming from underneath the door to the bathroom, and she could hear the shower running.

She turned on the light and squinted her eyes from how bright it was. Finn had already carried her power armor out to the room next to his, and she was amazed how he was able to do it without making noise. Nevertheless, after brushing her messy hair, she put it on.

It wasn't long before the shower in the bathroom turned off and Finn stepped out a minute later with clothes already on and a towel wrapped around his neck. He seemed startled when he saw Phoebe but just kept walking casually as he finished drying his hair and put on his armor.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up yet," Finn said.

Phoebe sat down on the bed again.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up so early either. I don't know how you were able to stay in there so long with such cold water," Phoebe replied.

"I'm used to it. You spend so much time returning to the Ice Kingdom every time that Ice King kidnaps a princess that you get a feel for the cold," Finn explained.

As he was speaking, Phoebe noticed he seemed to grow somewhat upset. She got up from the bed and stood next to him as he kept playing around with the towel on his hands.

"Finn, is everything alright?" Phoebe asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I'm sorry for snapping at you last night. I know you were only trying to help and I had no right to yell at you," Finn replied.

"It's okay, Finn. You were frustrated and the loss of Mike had gotten to you. No hard feelings," Phoebe replied.

"Thanks… Well, we should probably get going. I wanna see how PB is doing," Finn said.

Phoebe nodded and the two of them walked out of the room together.

The hallway was still empty due to the fact it was still very early. Both began to walk as quietly as possible to not wake anyone up. Walking through the hallways, and getting lost several times from how they all looked the same, they managed to reach the medical area.

There were several nurses walking around tending to the wounded, which were enough to fill all of the beds available. Finn nearly tripped as he passed by a banana guard using walking sticks, but they both kept moving along without further trouble. They reached the room where a nurse had said PB was in, which was guarded by two unharmed soldiers, and they opened the door.

Lady Rainicorn was sleeping on the floor next to the bed where PB was lying. On the other side of the bed was Rattleballs meditating on top if a chair. When Finn and Phoebe closed the door, all three of them opened their eyes to see them.

"Finn, Phoebe. Good to see you're both still able," Rattleballs said.

"예입니다. 어제 우리 모두를 위해 아주 거친."

"You can say that again," PB replied to Lady in a weak voice.

Finn and Phoebe both stood next to PB's bed and helped her sit up by placing pillows behind her. Her left arm was broken and she had multiple bruises along right cheek, along with a left black eye. Once she was fully seated, Finn and Phoebe pulled out a few more chairs and sat next to the bed.

"How are you doing?" Finn asked.

"I've been better," PB replied, "but I'll manage. I said I wouldn't let the Fire Kingdom win and I still plan on keeping my word. Especially with them taking Marceline."

"Well, you're definitely not going anywhere in your current state," Phoebe said.

PB sighed in frustration and leaned her head back.

"I know. And even if I could, everyone in here is on edge. I have to stay behind and make sure the bunker doesn't fall into chaos. But this is not our main concern. Our main concern is getting to Flame King."

"It'll be difficult, though. There's no doubt he's in Fire Kingdom, and I'll bet it's still heavily guarded," Finn said.

"That's not entirely true," Flint said as he walked in the room. "He's not in Fire Kingdom."

Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"You may think Dad is a coward, and in a way he is, but he wouldn't miss a chance to witness the conquering of this kingdom. I've only heard rumors while I was locked up, but I believe his main command center is located in the Grasslands."

"Alright, well that makes our job easier. Where exactly in the Grasslands?" Finn asked.

"That, I can't say. I never overheard a specific location," Flint replied.

"Wherever he is, it'll be the most heavily guarded place among them. We won't be able to just barge in," Phoebe explained.

"Maybe not," PB said. "Especially in the Grasslands where there's little cover. But the first priority should be finding out where Flame King is posted before coming up with an actual plan."

"We scout them," Rattleballs said.

"Exactly," PB replied.

"난 그냥 수 날고 그들 시도 하 고 본부를 찾아."

"No, Lady. You'd be blown out of the sky. We need to keep this on the down low," PB replied.

"I highly doubt there would be much of a difference. With so many soldiers, we're gonna get spotted on the ground anyway," Flint said.

"We'd have to rely on what few trees are left. What do you think, Finn?" Phoebe asked.

Finn thought for a few seconds while looking towards the ground.

"I've been traveling the Grasslands for longer than most people, so I know my way around it. Thought there aren't many structures where Flame King could make his base. It may be in the center of all Ooo, but I don't see where there would be a specific location where-"

Finn stopped talking and widened his eye in shock. Everyone looked at him weirdly while he remained quiet.

"Finn, what's wrong?" PB asked.

Finn looked towards them and grinded his teeth in anger.

"My treehouse!" he shouted.

Finn got up from his chair and furiously walked out of the room. Phoebe was the first to chase after him, then Flint and Rattleballs, and Lady stayed behind with PB. Despite his fast walking pace, Phoebe was able to catch up to him.

"Finn, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going after Flame King. I know where he is, I just have to get to him and put an end to this war," Finn replied.

"What? You're gonna kill him?!" Phoebe asked.

"Of course not. But I am gonna teach him a lesson and rescue Marceline," Finn replied.

"Don't you think you might be rushing things?" Rattleballs asked as he caught up to them.

"Yeah. And besides, who knows how many men he's got with him. Like Phoebe said, it's most likely the most heavily guarded place among the fire army," Flint said.

"That may be so, but I'm not gonna let that stop me," Finn replied.

"Us," Phoebe said.

Finn looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What? No way. I'm going alone," Finn replied.

"I hope you're joking. This is my dad we're talking about. I'm gonna beat him myself," Phoebe replied.

"Count me in as well," Flint said.

"And me," Rattleballs said.

When the group came to the ladder leading up to the bunker's exit hatch, Finn sighed and looked back them.

"Are you sure about this?" Finn asked. "Even you, Flint?"

"I agree I've always longed for the day of the Fire Kingdom's victory over the Candy Kingdom… but if my sister wishes otherwise, I can't allow that," Flint replied.

"Thanks, Flint," Phoebe said as she smiled at him.

"And my duty is sworn to this kingdom, so I must help," Rattleballs said.

"Not without leave from the kingdom's ruler, you're not," PB said as Lady carried her towards the group on her back. She got off and leaned her good hand against Lady to keep herself balanced. "Are you sure you're up to this? Remember, this isn't just Flame King we're dealing with, it's Cypher as well."

"We are," Finn replied. "Don't worry PB. The Candy Kingdom will be yours again and we'll bring Marceline back safely. You have my word."

PB grew a faint smile on her face.

"Very well. Good luck, all of you. I would recommend getting out through the upper levels. There's no doubt the main hall will be heavily guarded," PB said.

All of them nodded. Finn walked over to Lady and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get Jake back as well, Lady. I promise," Finn said.

"감사. 그것은 많은 당신이 희망을 의미 합니다. "

Finn removed his hand off Lady's shoulder and walked over to the ladder. Rattleballs walked up first, followed by Flint. Finn took a quick glance back at PB, Lady, and Phoebe before starting to climb up as well. Phoebe followed shortly after.

At the top, Rattleballs had opened the hatch leading out of the bunker and stepped out. He peeked is head back in a few seconds later and gave the signal that it was clear to proceed. Flint went out the hatch, then Finn, and finally Phoebe before they closed the hatch behind them.

The bunker's entrance had been placed behind one of PB's bookshelves in her room, which opened and closed with the press of a button. From the dark stone hall behind the shelf they could see the room on the other side through a tiny gap not visible from the outside. Rattleballs spotted a few guards standing in the room and gave the signal to wait.

"You shouldn't give false promises, you know," Flint said in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"What you told Lady down below. Don't you think there's a very good chance your dog friend is already dead? What makes you think he's still alive and waiting for you to come rescues him?"

"He _is_ alive. I know he is," Finn replied.

Flint scoffed and remained quiet for the rest of the wait. The muffled voices of the guards began to fade away until they were fully gone.

"We can proceed," Rattleballs said.

Pushing a red button on the wall, the bookshelf began to slide forward and then to the side as it opened. Everyone stepped out quietly and Rattleballs closed the bookshelf once more with the well hidden button in between two small books.

Finn peeked his head out the bedroom's door in the meantime to make sure the guards were gone. There was a tiny amount of sunlight coming in through one of the windows but it was still too early for the sun to shine fully. Turning his head back, Finn signaled everyone else to follow as he began walking silently down the hall.

The cheers and chatter of the fire soldiers echoed through multiple levels of the castle. Broken chairs, tables, and pieces of glass were scattered across the floor and inside the rooms they passed, which were left in a mess.

"Looks like our boys have been having fun smashing the place," Flint said.

"Dad is making a huge mistake. He's sullying the Fire Kingdom's reputation. We shouldn't destroy for fun," Phoebe said.

Once the group was able to reach the correct window that pointed towards the kingdom's main gate. The fires of the burning buildings and camps of the celebrating soldiers could be seen across the whole city.

Finn was the first to stand on the edge of the window and jump out, using his grappling hook to remain hidden on the rooftops. Flint and Phoebe followed behind as Rattleballs quickly climbed down the tower's wall, holding on to the cracks and holes made during the battle. Once everyone was on a rooftop, they all began making their way to the kingdom's main gate.

The fire golem that had broken through the gate was now walking across the kingdom, burning down or crushing every building it came across. The soldiers were rummaging through the shops and bars, piling everything they got from inside on the street and setting it all on fire.

He looked everywhere for any sign of Mike's body but it was nowhere to be found. No doubt it was already burned in the pyres.

' _I'm so sorry, Mike,'_ Finn thought.

The group came to a stop when a patrol walked across the kingdom's wall. When the patrol moved further away and out of sight, they continued to move and boost themselves up over the wall until they were on the other side. Running as fast as they could, they went out of sight of the Candy Kingdom as they entered the candy forest.

"Do you think anyone noticed us?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't think so," Finn replied.

"Let's not stick around to find out," Flint said.

Swiftly and quickly, they kept going through the forest. They made sure not to attract any attention as they passed by the Fire Kingdom's field camp, which still had a few soldiers guarding it. The trees provided good cover as they ran past and remained unnoticed for the rest of the way once they were clear of the camp.

Everyone stopped running when Rattleballs came to a sudden stop in front of him. He began to look around in multiple directions at once with no particular pattern.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked.

Rattleballs looked back at the rest of the group.

"We're being watched," he said.

Swords were drawn as everyone began to scan the area around them. The only sights were the shadows cast by the trees and every sound was just the rustling of the tree leaves. A twig snapped and everyone quickly turned in the direction of the noise, but there was no one in sight.

Another twig snapped in the opposite direction, then a faint shadow sped through the trees at breakneck speed. Flint grunted in annoyance and shot a bolt of fire at a random spot through the trees.

"Show yourself!" he shouted.

There was only silence in response. The whole group kept vigil at their surroundings as the silence began making them unnerved. Then, at a moment's notice, the stalker jumped from his cover and attacked the group with his sword.

Flint was the first he aimed for, so he quickly jumped out of the way of the swing. Finn swung his own sword towards the figure but failed as he dodged the attack. Finn was then knocked back when the figure kicked him across the chest.

Phoebe also swung her sword along with Rattleballs. Phoebe's attack was blocked and she was shoved away. Rattleballs, however, was able to land a hit on the figure with his fist after his first sword swing was blocked.

Flint shot the figure with a barrage of fire bolts, but he was able to dodge every single one of them until he reached Flint. Flint was then kicked towards a tree and was nearly hit again by the figure's fist if he hadn't moved out of the way.

The whole group faced the figure as he pulled his fist out of the tree after it got impaled in it. The figure removed the helmet covering his face and everyone got a good view of him.

Finn and Phoebe both lowered their swords at the sight of Seph.

"Seph? What are you doing here?" Finn asked.

"I could ask the same thing about you," he raised his sword and pointed it at the group, "Rookie."

Finn sheathed his sword.

"I know how this looks. But Seph, we're here on good reason," Finn said.

"It better be a good enough reason to explain why Mike isn't with you right now," Seph replied.

Finn lacked in words and looked towards Phoebe. She stepped forward a few feet closer to Seph.

"Mike… Mike is dead," she said.

Seph showed a bit of surprise for a second but his expression ultimately remained blank.

"I see. So you didn't just disobey a direct order from Victor, you also got a fellow Sentinel killed," Seph replied.

"Seph, trust me, I tried to-"

"I don't wanna hear it, Rookie. I came here to take you back to Olympia one way or another," Seph replied.

"Listen pal, I don't know who you are, none of us are doing anything else until we take care of Flame King," Flint said.

"I'm only here for Phoebe and the Rookie. I'm giving them the option to come quietly. I suggest they take it," Seph explained.

"Seph, please listen. Cypher can't be allowed to continue waging war across Ooo," Phoebe said.

Seph then raised one of his eyebrows and lowered his sword a bit.

"Cypher?" he asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "He's the one behind everything. Flame King, the war, Mike's death. This is all part of the Syndicate's plan."

"Even if that's true, it doesn't excuse your actions. If you had just listened to Victor, Mike would still be alive."

"I know that," Finn replied. "But if we can avenge his death right here and now if we can foil the Syndicate's plans. Maybe even catch Cypher in the process."

Seph remained quiet for an arduous amount of time before eventually walking a few steps further. He raised his sword back up and raised it directly at Finn.

"One day," he said. "We do this for one day and then I take you back to Olympia. Understand?" Finn and Phoebe simply nodded. "Okay. So what exactly is the situation?"

Seph listened for a few minutes as the other two Sentinels as they explained the encounter with Cypher, the invasion of the Candy Kingdom, and the capture of their friend, Marceline.

"We think Flame King is using my old house as his command center," Finn finished.

"So you want to singlehandedly end a war. Simple enough," Seph said.

"Simple?" Phoebe asked.

"Just follow my lead," Seph replied.

Seph put on his helmet and began running through the forest. The rest of the group followed behind and eventually caught up to the speeding Sentinel.

"You sure we can trust this guy?" Flint asked as he flew beside Finn.

"We can," Finn replied.

"I can attest to that," Rattleballs said.

"You?" Flint asked.

"They've met before," Phoebe explained.

"Keep quiet. We're almost there," Seph said.

Finn picked up speed a bit until he was running beside Seph.

"How do you even know which direction you're going?" Finn asked.

"This isn't my first time down here. Let's just leave it at that," Seph replied.

Finn turned his eyes forward as they reached the edge of the forest and peered into the Grasslands.

The treehouse was already in view, and as expected, there were dozens of soldiers posted all around it. It was surrounded by a camp much like the one near the Candy Kingdom, but luckily smaller. The roof of the treehouse had a Fire Kingdom flag posted at the very top of its roof and a few bowmen were patrolling the area from the overlook boat on the top floor.

There was no sign of Flame King anywhere in the camp from what they could see, meaning he was most likely inside the house. However, Marceline was locked up inside the camp itself, still unconscious inside a shaded glass cage.

The group stopped peeking through the trees and knelt on the ground in a circle.

"I don't see Cypher, but there's still a lot of them out there," Seph said. "We should try to find a way into the house from somewhere else."

"We're not going to the house," Finn said. "We're going to rescue Marceline first."

"Need I remind you she is right in the middle of the camp?" Seph asked.

"No." Phoebe replied. "But if we make any kind of move against my father there's no doubt he'll have her executed on sight. He's using her a leverage."

Seph groaned and peeked his head back out the trees. After a few seconds of waiting, he went back to sitting with the group.

"I'll get her. You all just focus on getting to Flame King," he said.

"What? How are you gonna-"

"Just do what I say," Seph commanded before Finn could finish.

Seph disappeared behind the trees as he made his way towards the camp. By the time the group got up to check where he was he was already gone.

"Well, so much for that guy. How are we supposed to get inside?" Flint asked.

Finn looked around the entire camp and his house as he searched for the safest route to take. His eyes fell on the open garage door, where the soldiers kept some weapons and fire wolves in cages.

"We could go in through the garage," Finn said.

Flint gave a fake chuckle.

"You realize there's fire wolves in there, right? They'll spot us."

"Yes." Rattleballs said. "But hopefully Marceline will be out of danger by the time they do. So we might as well take our time and be careful on our way there. This could be our only shot."

"Is there even a door further in?" Flint asked.

"We can cut through the wall," Finn replied.

"Great plan…" Flint replied unenthusiastically.

"Come on, Flint. We can do this. We're both stronger than Dad," Phoebe said.

Flint had no further comments. Once all of them were ready, they began to move quickly towards the camp as soon as there were no soldiers in sight.

They managed to make it to the edge of the camp and hide behind one of the tents without being seen. Rattleballs knocked out a guard that was in their way. He hid the body, barely avoiding being noticed by a patrol walking by. Once everything was clear again, they moved.

Marceline's cage was not in view from their current position, so it was hard to tell if Seph had gotten to her or not. Despite this, the group focused on the goal at hand as they creeped ever closer to the treehouse.

The garage door came into view along with all of the caged fire wolves inside. The closer the group got, the more the fire wolves kept moving their heads around. They were starting to notice something was wrong. One of them began howling and attracted the attention of several guards.

"It's now or never. They're gonna take notice before we're in there," Phoebe said.

"Right. Go!" Finn shouted.

The whole group jumped from their cover and ran straight towards the garage. A guard was already getting close to the entrance but was knocked down by Flint as he boosted himself forward. All the other guards shouted to one another as they readied their weapons and advanced towards the garage.

Once the whole group was in the garage, Finn hit the switch on the wall to close the door, but it ended up getting stuck.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" he shouted.

After a few more tries at the button, Finn jumped up and grabbed the manual handle on the door. While it budged, it was still getting stuck, and the guards were getting close. Phoebe jumped to help Finn as well but was still too slow.

"They're gonna make it in!" Flint said.

Just as one of the approaching soldiers raised his spear to impale them, it was stopped by Rattleball's sword. He pushed the soldier back out and began to fight against the others as well.

"Rattleballs!" Finn shouted.

"I'll keep them away. You get Flame King!" Rattleballs said.

With the sudden clank of metal, the garage door came to a full close and Rattleballs was left to fight outside. Everyone else took a few seconds to catch their breaths as the fire wolves braked furiously at them from the cages.

The sounds of fighting outside became quieter, meaning Rattleballs was successful in leading the soldiers away for the time being.

"Will he be alright?" Phoebe asked.

"He can take them on. But we better hurry," Finn replied.

As Finn began to cut through the wall leading further in with his sword, Phoebe took the time to look at the barking wolves.

There were a total of five wolves in cages of varying sizes. Out of the five, only four of them were barking furiously at them. The one not barking was the largest, who was just waving his tail back and forth with his tongue out as he looked at Phoebe. Her eyes widened and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Jake 2!" she said.

Finn was almost done with the cutting as he took a quick view back at Phoebe as she knelt in front of Jake 2's cage. The fire wolf licked the hand of her armor and steam rose from it. She chuckled and rubbed his head.

"Good to see you're still okay," she said.

"Now's not a good time for reunions, sister. Just bust the cage and get him out of there if you wish," Flint said.

Phoebe did just that as she pulled out her sword and broke the cage's lock, releasing the large fire wolf. At the same time, Finn had finished cutting through the wall and allowed passage further into the house.

"Let's go!" Finn said.

The group went through and quickly found themselves in the house's treasure room, which had been picked clean of everything it once had. Several guards were inside, which were too slow to prepare their weapons before they were cut down. Once that was done, the group went up the ladder leading to the living room.

Not surprisingly enough, however, Flame King was already there, waiting for them on a throne similar to that of Fire Kingdom's but smaller. Numerous guards were posted in front and behind them, pointing their spears at their necks before they had the chance to do anything.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Flame King said with a smirk on his face.

Despite the amount of spears pointed at them, the group acted normally. Flame King was a bit surprised to see Flint among them, and even more surprised when Finn and Phoebe removed their helmets, revealing their faces.

"We've come to stop you, Dad," Phoebe said.

All of the fire soldiers became confused and mumbled to each other at Phoebe's statement. Flame King, on the other hand, simply laughed.

"You're not stopping anything, young lady," Flame King replied. "The Fire Kingdom will finally earn its rightful place in Ooo as the most powerful kingdom. And not even the Candy Kingdom was able to stop us."

Finn's attention was brought to a small cage placed beside Flame King's throne, which held both Neptr and Beemo inside.

"Beemo! Neptr!" Finn called out.

"Master, you are alive!" Neptr said.

"Thank goodness!" Beemo said.

Finn gritted his teeth in anger.

"Release them, Flame King!" Finn shouted.

"You want them? Come and get them," Flame King replied. "This is just a useless struggle. The Candy Kingdom is only the first step. Soon we will conquer all of Ooo, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Just watch us. We'll bring an end to this war one way or another!" Phoebe replied.

"So be it," Flame King said.

He snapped his fingers and the fire soldiers charged the group. Finn took out one of them by grabbing the spear and yanking it off the soldier's hands. Once the soldier was disarmed, Finn hit him across the torso with the blunt and of the stick and knocked him against the wall.

Flint took out two others by first managing to dodge a spear attack and punching the soldier's face. He grabbed the other by the spear and threw him in Jake 2's direction, allowing the wolf to grab the soldier in his maw and throw him out the window.

Phoebe took out the last one by crouching underneath the soldier's attack and then kicking his knee, effectively breaking it. As the soldier screamed in pain, Phoebe punched him in the head and he was left unconscious in the corner of the room.

Once all the guards were dealt with, the group turned their attention back to Flame King, who was looking rather disappointed.

"Ba, useless! Very well, I'll just deal with you myself," he said as he formed a sword with his hand.

Flame King was already up on his feet and charging the group before they had a chance to react. Phoebe barely missed being stabbed by the sword when she jumped out of the way. Upon missing, Flame King impaled the sword on one of the walls, allowing Flint to jump in and attempt to attack with his own sword. Unfortunately, Flame King got unstuck just in time to block the attack.

Just a split second after Flame King pushed Flint back, Finn kicked Flame King on his back and knocked him forward, making him fall face down on the ground. Finn jumped up several feet and brought his foot down towards Flame King's chest, but the tyrant grabbed Finn's foot with his hand and threw him across the room and smashed him against a wall.

Phoebe was able to kick Flame King across his face as he started to get up, forcing him once again to the ground. He blocked another sword attack from her and pushed her back where she was before Jake 2 stepped in and managed to bite through and remove part of Flame King's shoulder armor.

Flame King growled in annoyance and quickly got up to charge the still recovering Finn. Luckily, he was able to notice Flame King in time to jump out of the way, causing him to impale his sword into the wall once more.

As Flame King struggled to remove his sword, Flint ran from the side and punched him right across the face. The sword still remained impaled on the wall as Flame King hung from it while recovering from the punch. But there was no time to react as Phoebe ran up as well and kicked him across the face as well with enough force to remove the sword from the wall and send Flame King flying back towards his throne, smashing it from the weight of his body.

The cage where Beemo and Neptr were locked was knocked on its side from the force of the hit. Flame King groaned as he rubbed his head and began to sit up. When he opened his eyes, he was met with the entire group pointed their swords at his face, along with Jake 2 growling next to him. He spat out some lava blood and chuckled.

"Had you're fun?" Flame King asked.

"It's over, Dad. You will order the entire Fire Kingdom army to withdraw from the Candy Kingdom," Phoebe ordered.

"Ha! You think you have control over me? This is far from over, and I'll die before I see you back on the throne, daughter!"

Flame King raised his left arm to show a small yellow gem placed on his wrist. He placed his right hand on top of it and the gem began to glow bright.

"Get back!" Finn shouted.

Finn grabbed Phoebe and pulled her towards the ground as a huge explosion surrounded Flame King, causing the entire treehouse to crumble and fall on top of them.

* * *

 **CoolDudeAgent: Oh, there will be more surprises indeed.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Well, we all have our own reaction to tragedy.**

 **Ooobserver: I guess I've been reading too much of the manga lately.**


	24. Chapter 24: Approaching Doom

**Chapter 24: Approaching Doom**

" _Finn. Finn!"_

The sound of Phoebe's voice assaulted Finn's ears. His vision was blurry and he felt groggy as he woke up. Piles of wood and rubble laid on top of him, giving him very little space to move around. When his vision became clear, he could barely make full tell of Phoebe's face above him with the very few rays of sunshine that got through the cracks.

Finn groaned as he got up to a sitting position while being supported by Phoebe. He rubbed the back of his head and barely missed smacking it into a wooden beam above. Putting on his helmet and turning on his night vision, Finn could now see Phoebe's face clearly along with the large pile of rubble surrounding them.

"What happened?" Finn asked.

"I'm not sure, but the treehouse was fully destroyed. We were very lucky to be spared," Phoebe replied.

"What about Flint and Jake 2? What happened to Flame King?" Finn kept asking.

Before Phoebe could give a straight answer, some of the wooden beams and trunks began to be lifted from above. The sound of sniffing and whimpers could be heard, followed by the sight of Jake 2's nose as he finished digging through the last remaining rubble. The light of day caused Finn to turn off his night vision before it hurt his eye.

Jake 2's tail began wagging and barked at the two. Flint peeked his head I through the hole Jake 2 had made, showing a scared and bruised face. He was holding his left arm with his right, which also appeared to be damaged beyond use at the moment. Neptr and Beemo also peeked their heads shortly after.

"Master, you're alive!" Neptr said.

"Thank goodness," Beemo said.

"Are you two alright?" Flint asked.

"Yeah," Phoebe replied. "What about the soldiers that were outside?"

"You better come up and see," Flint replied.

Phoebe went up before Finn and stood next to Flint as they looked towards the Grasslands. The look that had formed on Phoebe's face indicated Finn something was wrong. Very wrong. Once he was also out of the rubble and standing next to the rest of the group, he removed his helmet to get a better view of what was before them.

The entire camp had been demolished. Tents were flat on the ground and there were only several wounded soldiers still wandering around; the rest had been killed. A large dirt trail was formed on the grass over the camp and further into the Grasslands. Finn's eyes followed it until they reached the cause.

A large creature, around twenty-five meters tall and seemingly made of metal, was dragging itself along the Grasslands and towards the Candy Kingdom. The creature had no legs, only several tentacle-looking spikes but the rest of its body looked normal. Its hands were thin but were still strong enough to carry its massive body around, but it still struggled as it moved itself at a slow pace. Finn couldn't see its face, only a large cloud of black smoke that arose from where the neck should be.

"What… is that?" Finn asked.

"I think that's Dad," Flint replied.

"But how?" Phoebe asked.

Everyone remained mesmerized until Finn broke the silence.

"Remember the black gem on his wrist?" Finn asked. Phoebe nodded. "Well, I suppose we have the Syndicate to blame once again."

Finn was momentarily startled when he felt a hand on top of his shoulder. He quickly turned and saw that it was Rattleballs, and behind him was Seph carrying a hooded Marceline.

"Good to see you made it," Rattleballs said.

"I could say the same! I thought for a moment that you two had been taken out," Finn replied. He turned to Seph. "Is Marceline alright?"

"She's still breathing," Seph replied. "But I don't know about her overall condition."

"The only one who can see to her is PB. But Flame King is going towards her right now!" Finn said.

"Then we'd better make sure he doesn't get there," Flint replied.

Finn thought for a moment as he looked at Flame King and then Rattleballs.

"Rattleballs, I need you to get on Jake 2 with Marceline and fly to the Candy Kingdom. Get everyone out of the bunker and away from the kingdom," Finn explained.

"Are you forgetting about the large army of fire soldiers posted there? They won't let the citizens leave that easily," Seph explained.

"They have to. My dad will demolish the entire kingdom and many more regardless of who's in his way. Even his own men," Phoebe replied.

Rattleballs grabbed Marceline from Seph's grip and placed her sitting in front of him on top of Jake 2.

"Do not worry, Finn," Rattleballs said, "I'll make sure the candy people are safe and away from the chaos. It's my duty to ensure that."

Finn smiled and nodded. Meanwhile, Phoebe placed a hand on top of Flint's injured hand, causing him to wince.

"You should go too," Phoebe said.

"What? No!" Flint replied. "I've got just as much right as you to fight Dad."

"I know, but you can't fight with that arm. You were once the captain of the Fire Kingdom's army, you can help in convincing the soldiers to allow the Candy Kingdom's citizens to go free somehow," Phoebe explained.

Flint looked towards Flame King and then Jake 2. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Fine. But I'm not sure if this'll work," he said reopening his eyes.

Flint walked towards Jake 2 and grunted in pain as he pulled himself on the large wolf. Once he was secure, Rattleballs leaned closer to Jake 2's head.

"Fly. Take us to the Candy Kingdom," Rattleballs said.

With a bend of his legs, Jake 2 jumped into the air and began flying towards the Candy Kingdom, passing over the advancing Flame King in the process. Once they were out of sight, Finn, Phoebe, Neptr, Beemo, and Seph all faced each other.

"Our job is to keep Flame King away from the Candy Kingdom for as long as we can. And find a way to stop him if possible," Finn said.

"Three Sentinels against a giant behemoth bent of complete destruction," Seph said. He unsheathed his sword and put on his helmet. "What are we waiting for?"

Finn and Phoebe nodded and put on their helmets as well. Before leaving, Finn knelt in front of Beemo and Neptr.

"You two stay here for now," he said.

The two robots followed his instruction and stayed behind as the three of them began their run across the Grasslands.

Due to Flame King's slow movement, it didn't take long for them to catch up. The grass below where he dragged himself became instantly burned on account of the heat coming off of him, as shown by the amount of smoke rising from the ground. As the group ran past the giant beast, they could see its face.

The face resembled Flame King's but instead of being made of fire, it was made of black smoke. He looked down at the three Sentinels with his glowing yellow eyes and widely smiled, showing nothing inside his mouth except the same eerie yellow glow from his eyes. A large round yellow gem rested on the center of his chest.

Flame King stopped when the group managed to get in front of him and remained still as he followed their movements. As the Sentinels prepared their weapons, Flame King leaned down and lifted himself back up as he roared into the sky. Despite his size, the roar came out as a loud terrifying shriek; like something out of a nightmare.

When the roar ended, Flame King began to lift his left arm upwards in a fist as he prepared to bring it down on the three Sentinels below. With another shriek, Flame King brought down his arm towards the ground.

"Move!" Seph shouted.

Everyone jumped out of the way as the arm came crashing on the ground where they once stood, raising a large amount of dirt and dust from the impact. After recovering from the shock, everyone looked back to their target as he began to raise his hand back up.

"At least he's slow," Phoebe said.

Seph took the chance at Flame King's state to hook on to the backhand and pulled himself towards it. He swung his sword and cut off two fingers from the hand, making Flame King lose balance as he forced his other arm up and fall to the ground with another shriek. Large piles of black goo poured out of the newly formed wounds that now acted as Flame King's blood.

Finn and Phoebe joined Seph as he managed to land on Flame King's back. The towering behemoth was able to get up to his original position, forcing the group to grapple onto the metal when they could no longer stand. Ignoring his wound, Flame King continued pressing on towards the Candy Kingdom.

"I have a feeling the yellow gem on the chest is the key to beating this guy," Seph said. "If we can destroy it, we're in the clear."

Finn and Phoebe both nodded. Each of them used their grappling hooks to swing around and hand from Flame King's chest. He looked down at them and began to lift his hand up to grab them. Just before he did, however, Seph was able to impale his sword into the gem.

Flame King shrieked once more as sparks of yellow came from the gem. Seph grunted as the sparks kept assaulting his body, but the power armor was keeping most of the burning force at bay. Forcing himself forward, he attempted to impale the sword further but was met with more sparks. Then the gem exploded into a cluster of electricity.

The force of the blast knocked all of the Sentinels off and sent them hurling towards the ground. Finn and Phoebe landed a few feet in front of Flame King and were able to land safely, but Seph was sent flying much farther and landed on his back.

"Seph!" both shouted at once.

He and Phoebe ran towards Seph as fast as they could. The more experience Sentinel was lying motionless on the ground with the right half his power armor black from being scorched. Finn knelt in front of him and forced Seph's helmet off, revealing his still intact face. Despite not seeming to have a scratch, he was out cold.

"Seph. Seph, can you hear me?" Finn asked.

Seph remained unresponsive. Finn grabbed Seph's chin and gently moved his head from side to side. He was definitely breathing; that much Finn could tell.

"Finn, we can't stay here much longer," Phoebe said as she pointed to the still approaching Flame King.

Despite Seph's attempt at destroying the gem, there wasn't a single scratch on it. Flame King continued to move forward at his normal pace as if nothing happened.

"We'll carry him with us," Finn said as he lifted Seph on top of his shoulders. "Let's get to Candy Kingdom as fast as possible."

Finn followed closely behind Phoebe as the two began to gain ground from Flame King. Another roar escaped from his mouth, followed by the continuing tremble of the ground every time his arm hit it.

"If Seph is right and that gem is the key to beating Dad, how are we gonna do it when it's heavily protected?" Phoebe asked.

"Seph managed to break through some of it before it blew. We just need to find some way to crush it without actually getting near it," Finn replied.

"Any ideas?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm working on it. Let's just hope the flame soldiers will be willing to help, or at least stay out of the way," Finn replied.

* * *

When the two Sentinels managed to reach the Candy Kingdom's destroyed gate, two armed guards raised their spears and stopped them in their tracks. A few others prepared bows from the top of the wall and aimed them downwards. One of the guards at the gate spoke.

"Stop right there! No one is allowed passage. This is-Wait, you were involved in the battle."

Finn momentarily placed Seph down on the ground.

"Just listen," Finn said. "There's massive trouble coming our way and we have to stop it. If we don't, everyone, including you, will be killed."

A guard came walking out of the kingdom through the gate while chuckling. Unlike the rest of the soldiers, this one had bulky lava rock armor and a large sword hanging from his back. Finn and Phoebe assumed he was one of the captains.

"What kind of trouble?" the captain said. "There are no banana guards left to fight us."

"I'm not talking about banana guards," Finn replied.

Before the captain could speak further, one of the guards on top of the wall caught his attention.

"There's something heading towards us!" the soldier shouted as he pointed towards the Grasslands.

The captain and the rest of the soldiers looked behind Finn and Phoebe and gasped at the sight. While Flame King was still far away, his shadowy form could be seen on the horizon getting closer to them.

"What is that thing?!" the captain asked.

"That… is your king. And he plans on taking out this entire kingdom, and many others, no matter what," Phoebe said.

"Our king? What kind of trickery is this? If you think-"

"Everyone who was stationed in the Grasslands is now dead or wounded!" Phoebe shouted. "If you don't want the soldiers here to meet the same fate, I say you let us pass."

The captain looked towards the ground and his eyes moved from side to side at incredible speed. Once they stopped, he looked back up ant the two Sentinels and unsheathed his sword, pointing the tip towards at them.

"Nice try. If you think we're gonna abandon our posts, you've got a-"

He was stopped when Seph suddenly walked up to him and grabbed him by the neck. Finn, Phoebe, and the rest of the soldiers were shocked to find him up again.

"If you don't let us in I'll personally make sure you don't live through this day," Seph said.

"Let him go!" shouted one of the archers as they all readied their bows.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" shouted the captain as he kept being strangled by Seph. He looked towards one of the gate guards. "Tell everyone else inside. An unknown beast is on its way here and will soon attack. And no one is to lay a hand on these people."

The guard nodded and ran inside. The captain fell to his knees and breathed heavily when Seph let him go.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Seph said. The captain looked up and growled at him. He turned to Finn and Phoebe. "Let's head inside quick."

The Sentinels were met with several bad stares from the fire soldiers as they walked the Candy Kingdom streets, but everyone otherwise kept their distance. Most of them were running around and preparing their weapons for the fight to come.

The same fire golem that had broken through the gate was carrying catapults on each of his shoulders and making its way towards the wall. Other soldiers were also pushing the war machines across the streets but their progress was slower. After a while the palace entrance came into view, and there didn't seem to be anyone on guard.

Several soldiers were found inside the palace, but none of them made a move towards the group. Quickly and swiftly, they made their way up to the Princess Bubblegum's room where the entrance to the bunker was. There were no guards inside the room, so they were able to get in undetected.

"Do you think Rattleballs was able to sneak in with the rest?" Phoebe asked.

"Let's hope so," Finn replied.

"Also, where's Cypher?"

"Let's hope he's gone from the kingdom for now."

Once the bookshelf that hid the bunker's entrance was closed, the group opened the hatch and began making their way down the ladder into the bunker.

The inside of the bunker looked just as Finn and Phoebe had left when they left, save that everyone who was sleeping was now up and walking around. The group ignored them and walked straight towards one of the banana guards.

"Where's Princess Bubblegum?" Finn asked.

"Uh, I think she's in the medical area," the guard said. "That Rattleballs guy came in here riding a dog and carried two wounded people."

Before he could even finish, the group was already making their way towards the medical area. Once there, they entered the same room where PB was being treated, only this time it was Marceline lying on the bed, still unconscious. There was another bed brought in coated in flame shield were Flint was, with Jake 2 sitting by his side.

"Guys, you're back!" PB said as she finished a conversation with Lady and Rattleballs. "Rattleballs told me everything."

"So you know our problem." Finn said.

"Yes, I-Oh, hello. Who are you?" PB asked, looking at Seph.

"The hired help," Seph replied.

"꽤 매력 남, 당신?" Lady said.

"How's Marceline?" Finn asked.

PB looked to the unconscious vampire and sighed.

"She's unresponsive… but stable," PB replied.

"PB," Phoebe began, "we need to figure out a way to stop my Dad. Our first attempt at destroying his power gem failed. Unless we can find a way to destroy it safely, all of Ooo will end up as a pile of rubble."

"Destroying a power gem safely is nearly impossible." PB explained. "When you destroy one, you're basically releasing all of the power that was trapped inside. The only way to contain it would be to use a gem of the same magnitude, but we don't have a one of that size lying around. The result of destroying Flame King's gem could be disastrous."

"It can't be worse than what he'll do if he isn't destroyed," Flint said as he sat himself up on the bed.

"How can we destroy it?" Phoebe asked.

"The same way you destroy any gem. Breaking it open and letting the energy flow out. The wizards of Wizard City have a special ritual designed specifically to destroy a gem safely. Unfortunately, we can't count on anyone from Wizard City with the short time we have," PB explained.

"We experienced something like that during our first encounter. It didn't exactly go well," Seph said.

"There's gotta be a way…" Finn said.

Everyone stayed quiet as they tried to think of a solution. Eventually, PB sighed and caught everyone's attention.

"I know of a way. But we need to make sure all of the citizens get out of here safely," she said.

"We'll do what we can." Finn said. "What's the plan?"

* * *

Weapons were drawn, angry glares were shot, and verbal threats were spoken. Between the fire soldiers and the candy citizens coming out of the palace things were beginning to take a turn for the worst.

Finn, Phoebe, Seph, and Rattleballs were all standing in front of the group with their swords raised. PB was right behind them riding Lady while holding Marceline, and Flint was beside them riding Jake 2. All other citizens waited nervously as the fire soldiers refused to let them pass; and the fact that the soldiers on the wall were currently fighting off Flame King with catapults wasn't helping.

The large beast was standing right outside the wall and shrieking with every stone that hit its body. While it provided time by slowing Flame King down, he was still capable of moving forward, with the catapults seeming to have little effect every time they hit the gem on his chest.

"You plan on leaving us to fend off that thing while you all run away?!" the same captain from the gate shouted at the citizens.

"We don't plan on abandoning your struggle. We simply wish to get the civilians to safety and then we'll help you," PB explained.

"And why should we care what happens to your citizens? This entire kingdom is doomed," another soldier said.

"And so will all others, including the Fire Kingdom, if that thing manages to stay alive!" PB said, pointing to Flame King.

"Our weapons are doing nothing against it. This is a fight you can't win," the captain replied.

"We _can_ win. If you would just let us pass we can end this fight in one fell swoop," Finn said.

"You expect us to trust you? It's not just the terrorist attack. The Candy Kingdom has always been our enemy, regardless of whether or not we acted as allies," the captain replied.

"You call yourselves warriors? How can you just stand by and force others to fend for themselves while you do nothing?" PB asked.

"Look who's talking. The almighty Princess Bubblegum talking about letting others fight for themselves," the captain replied.

"Excuse me?!" PB said.

"You heard me correctly!" the captain shouted and the other soldiers cheered.

"This is going nowhere," Seph said. "We're running on borrowed time. Either you let us pass or I'll cut you down one by one."

"Just try it. One way or another, you all stay here!" the captain said.

"ENOUGH!" Phoebe shouted. Everyone turned to her as she removed her helmet, revealing her face to them. "This is not the Fire Kingdom I once knew!"

The soldiers looked at her confused.

"And who are you?" one of them asked.

"I am Phoebe Flame. Daughter of the traitorous Flame King and the true ruler of Fire Kingdom."

"Uh, Phoebe…" Finn tried speaking.

"Ha! You?" a fire soldier said. "Our previous ruler was killed in a terrorist attack. And besides, you're not a flame person."

"I realize the difficulty of recognizing me, but it is the truth. Is it not the custom in Fire Kingdom to not lie?" Phoebe asked.

"Not anymore," the captain said. "Flame King removed the law when he retook the throne. And honestly, we're far better off without it."

"Better off?" Phoebe asked.

"Are you kidding me? That law did nothing but harm to the kingdom. Phoebe should've seen that, but she was too blind."

Phoebe was taken back by his words. She had never realized her law was actually causing harm to her people.

"I… I didn't know. I thought I-"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," the captain interrupted, "because you're not our ruler."

While Phoebe remained quiet as she failed to come up with a response, Flint got off Jake 2 and slowly walked towards the front of the group.

"Men," he said, "I was your captain for a long time. We've been through more fights than I can count. If you still have any sense of respect for me, and for everything good that my sister has done, you will see just who she really is."

The soldiers kept looking at Phoebe, taking their time to study every inch of her face. After a few seconds, some of them began to slightly lower their weapons.

"Sir… she does kinda look like her…" one soldier said.

"Yeah. Aside from not being made of fire, she's identical," another soldier added.

The captain stuttered with his words as he kept looking between the soldiers and Phoebe.

"This… this doesn't prove anything," he said.

"It's the truth," Finn said as he removed his helmet.

All of the fire soldiers muttered between themselves at the sight of him.

"Finn the Human?" a soldier asked.

"I thought he was killed," another said.

"Wasn't he also in Fire Kingdom during the attack?" another asked.

"This woman," Finn said as he pointed to Phoebe, "is your ruler. The best ruler the Fire Kingdom has had. Did she make a mistake with the honesty law? Maybe. But everything she did, she did because she thought it was for the good of the Fire Kingdom and its people. Can you not see all the good she's done compared to the bad?"

Phoebe stared at him with wide eyes after he finished. All of the soldiers continued their murmuring amongst each other as the captain began to look nervous. He looked back momentarily when Flame King roared from getting hit by more catapult shots.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Phoebe as she grappled onto the roof of a nearby building and looked down at them from above.

"I may not be able to fully prove I am your leader, but all I can try to do is apologize. I'm sorry that my honesty law was not accepted by the people, and I am willing to take full responsibility for it. But right now, we stand on the brink of a fight to the death. Not just for us, but for all of Ooo. If we fight against ourselves we'll be condemning innocent people to death."

She gripped her sword tighter and raised it up in the air.

"So I ask of you, not as a ruler, but as another fighter, are we gonna run away like cowards while Flame King destroys or homes and kills our families? No! The Fire Kingdom I once ruled would never have turned their backs on a fight, even if it meant the cost of our very lives! So if we're gonna go down today, why not go down fighting?!"

Everyone remained quiet and mesmerized, especially Finn. All of the soldiers completely lowered their weapons away from the candy citizens.

"It _is_ her," a soldier said.

The captain look around nervously at his men as they all stared at Phoebe in wonder. He eventually lowered his head and sighed.

"Let the citizens pass," he said.

The candy people cheered as the fire soldiers moved aside and let them pass. Finn and Seph joined Phoebe on the rooftop as PB, Lady, and Rattleballs helped the people that were still inside.

"That was a great speech, Phoebe!" Finn said.

"Well, it managed to convince the soldiers otherwise, so that's something," Seph said.

Phoebe smiled at both their comments.

"Men, listen up!" the captain shouted to the soldiers. "We're gonna hold that thing back for as long as possible until all the civilians are out. Once that's done, we're taking down for good. Are you ready?!" All of the soldiers saluted and chanted at once. "Then let's show what the Fire Kingdom is capable of!"

All of the soldiers cheered and began to follow the captain as he ran towards the gate. A fire golem was sent out into the field towards Flame King and began to push him back from the main gate, giving enough space for exit from the kingdom.

"This has been the longest day of my life," Phoebe said.

"Well, it's about to get much longer," Finn replied.

"Ba, quit you're whining, Finn," Seph said. He became confused when Finn's eye widened and his mouth remained slightly agape. "What?"

"You-you just called me by my name!" Finn said.

"Oh. So I did," Seph replied.

PB, Lady, Flint, Jake 2, and Rattleballs all flew towards the rooftop once the civilians were on their way. Marceline wasn't on top of Lady anymore since PB dropped her off with the rest of the civilians. The only people staying behind were a few banana guards.

"PB, Flint, shouldn't you go with the candy people? You're both badly hurt," Finn said.

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving my kingdom behind," PB replied.

"And I don't plan on abandoning my sister now," Flint said.

"Alright then," Finn replied.

"Okay, we need to do this quickly if we're gonna pull it off," PB said.

"Agreed," Rattleballs said.

"Rattleballs, while I know your fighting skills could be useful here, I need you to escort the candy people to safety. Can you do that?" PB asked.

"Very well," Rattleballs replied. He walked Jake 2 near Finn and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, Finn. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Likewise," Finn replied.

Rattleballs bowed his head and then flew off with Jake 2.

"저희가 이동 얻을."

"Okay then. Let's do this," PB said.

The ground shook with incredible force as Flame King threw the fire golem over the wall, making fall on top of several buildings and crush them underneath its weight. He managed to get close enough to the wall and knock down some of the catapults; luckily, all citizens managed to get out of the kingdom in time before the gate was blocked.

Finn, Phoebe, and Seph were all standing on a rooftop near the gate. All of the remaining fire soldiers and banana guards were all standing on the other side of the gate with their weapons raised. As Flame King drew near the wall.

PB and Flint flew next to the group on Lady and landed on the same roof.

"We're all set," PB said.

"Now comes the hard part," Finn said. "We have to lure him farther inside the kingdom."

"Let's just hope we don't kill ourselves in the process, shall we?" Seph said.

Flame King raised its left arm and placed it on top of the wall. His right hand followed shortly after and the giant beast began to lift itself over the structure.

"Men, start moving back!" the captain shouted to his soldiers.

All of the soldiers began to move backwards further inside, luring Flame King in as he crushed any building he leaned against. Finn and the rest of the group also began moving back from their position.

"As long as the soldiers keep him in the center, we're good to go," PB said.

"Just give the word when he's in position," Flint said.

The soldiers yelled and jumped back as Flame King attempted them to crush them with his fist. He let out a thundering roar as he missed and kept moving forward.

Due to the shrinking size of the street, all of the soldiers were forced to make their group less wide while continuing to move. Flame King was forced to support himself from the roof of the buildings, making him look taller as he lifted himself further off the ground.

"Now!" Finn shouted.

Seph grappled onto Flame King's left hand and pulled himself towards it. With one swing of his sword, Flame King's entire arm was sliced clean off, forcing him to roar as his body collapsed to the side and crushed the buildings that once supported him. The best was now lying face-up on the ground, giving a clear shot of the gem.

"Here goes nothing," PB said as she pulled out a small trigger and pressed it.

Everyone quickly began to clear out of the way as multiple explosions began to occur on the front of the Candy Kingdom's palace. The entire building wobbled and began to fall forward as more of its support beams were destroyed. The explosions stopped with the front half of the columns, and Flame King was left helpless as the entire palace began to fall straight towards him.

Letting out another roar and attempting to get up, Flame King was met with the full force of the palace's weight falling on top of him, unfortunately taking most of the kingdom with it.

Everyone braced themselves as he impact from the large structure shook the ground immensely and sent a cloud of smoke flying through the air. Several chunks of loose rocks were sent flying to further parts of the kingdom, destroying several structures that weren't caught in the initial blast.

As the ground and smoke settled, everyone began to emerge from whatever cover they were able to get. The result of the blast left behind nothing but huge piles of rubble throughout most of the kingdom. There was also no sign of Flame King, who was no doubt crushed underneath it.

"Did it work?" Flint asked.

"I think so," PB replied.

"Sorry about your kingdom," Phoebe said.

"It's okay. We can always rebuild," PB replied.

Down below on the streets, the soldiers were gathered around the once great structure that stood in the center of the Candy Kingdom, which now served as the resting place for Flame King.

"We've done it, men!" shouted the captain.

All of the soldiers below cheered and raised their spears in the air at the fall of their previous king. Despite their victory, Phoebe couldn't bring herself to even slightly smile.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked.

"He may have tried to destroy the kingdom but he was still my father. Not that I regret what we did here today," Phoebe replied.

Seph grappled back to the rooftop where the group was.

"Well, this has been quite the experience," he said.

"Yeah," Finn replied. "I suppose you gotta take us back to Olympia now."

"I'm afraid I do," he replied.

Finn and Phoebe both looked down in shame, accepting their fate.

"당신이 그 것은 정말 죽은 생각 합니까?"

"I hope so, Lady. We should probably-"

PB was unable to finish as the rubble from the palace exploded upwards, causing chunks of rock to fall down on the buildings and roads and taking out multiple soldiers in the process. Flame King emerged from the hole created in the rubble and roared as his entire upper half climbed out.

The hand that Seph had cut off had regrown in the form of the same black smoke that made up his entire head. He quickly swung the newly formed arm at the large group of soldiers, taking out most of them and dragging the captain along with them. He also used his steel arm to swing at the remaining debris in his way, causing more chunks of rock to fly off and destroy multiple structures.

The entire group on the rooftop was forced to jump back further as the massive beast kept swinging his arms around, seeming to act a lot more aggressive than before. The gem on his chest also seemed fully intact; they hadn't made a single scratch on it.

"Are you kidding me?!" Flint shouted.

"난 내가 너무 빨리 얘기!"

Flame King turned his head to the group, and his smile seemed to grow wider as he began to drag himself towards them.

"I've had it with this guy," Seph said.

He pointed his grappling hook at Flame King's steel arm and pulled himself towards it in an attempt to cut it off. Just as his sword was about to make contact, with lighting fast reflexes, Flame King grabbed Seph with his smoke arm, keeping him locked in a tight grip that did not allow the Sentinel to break free.

"Seph!" Finn shouted.

Before Seph could utter another word, he was thrown halfway across the city.

He smashed his mechanical leg against the roof of a building, causing it to be ripped off. His momentum was so much that he bounced off the first roof and landed on another farther away until eventually coming to a stop, unmoving as he laid face-down.

"Oh Glob, no…" Phoebe said upon witnessing the sight of Seph's motionless body.

Finn grinded his teeth and turned his attention back to Flame King.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Finn shouted.

Just as Flame King was beginning to bring his hand down towards them, Finn used his grappling hook to pull himself underneath it and land against his chest. Finn raised his sword and prepared to stab Flame King in his gem once more, but he was grabbed by Flame King's smoke arm before he could.

"Finn!" Phoebe shouted before she too jumped in.

Finn continuously struggled to break free from Flame King's grasp, but the force was too strong for him to be able to get his sword loose. Phoebe landed on Flame King's shoulder before he was able to devour Finn.

"Dad!" she shouted, getting his attention. "I don't know if you're still in there or if I'm just talking to a mindless beast, but this has gone too far! Do you honestly feel that all this destruction and death will end with your rule?!"

Flame King completely ignored her and reached up with his metal hand. Now both Finn and Phoebe were caught in the monster's grasp, unable to break lose.

"Sister!" Flint shouted.

Flame King raised both his hands up towards his mouth and prepared to devour the two Sentinels. Just before he did, however, the metal arm that held Phoebe was completely cut off. Flame King responded by moving the smoke hand that held Finn away from his mouth as he roared in pain at the newly formed wound.

Before she knew it, Phoebe was carried over to the rooftop next to Flint, Lady, and PB. They all looked to the hooded figure that had saved her; Marceline.

"Marceline, you're okay!" PB said.

"Woke up being carried by some candy people. I Came back here as soon as I could," Marceline explained.

"Uh, guys, a little help?!" Finn shouted as he began being lifted back up towards Flame King's mouth.

Right before Marceline flew up once more, another grappling hook latched itself to Flame King's chest. Everyone turned their attention to Seph, who was able to make himself towards the yellow gem in the center despite his current poor condition.

"I'm not going down that easily without a fight," he said.

Raising his sword, Seph impaled it into Flame King's gem, causing sparks to fly off it just like before. The shock caused Flame King to loosen his grip and allowed Finn to drop down.

"Seph!" Finn shouted.

Using all of the strength he had left, Seph impaled the sword completely into the gem before he was blown again, making Flame King roar one more time before he exploded in a large cluster of light.

Everyone stood up from the ground after being knocked back the force of the huge explosion. Whatever soldiers were left also emerged from underneath the rubble made by Flame King, who was now nowhere to be seen; but neither was Seph.

Finn was the first to act as he looked quickly in every direction, trying to find the Sentinel.

"Seph, were are you?! SEPH!" Finn shouted; no response came. He jumped off the roof and made his way towards the ground where the surviving soldiers were gathering. "Seph, come on, show yourself!"

Phoebe joined him on the ground shortly after.

"Finn, I… I think he's gone," she said.

"No. No, losing Mike was enough, I'm not letting Seph die as well. Seph!" Finn continued shouting.

"He was caught in a huge explosion. I don't think even his power armor could've saved him," Phoebe replied.

Lady, Flint, PB, and Marceline went down towards them as well, only to find Finn had fallen to his knees on the ground. In front of him lied Seph's sword, with only its hilt and half of the blade remaining. PB managed to get off Lady and Marceline helped walking her closer as Finn picked up the sword.

"Finn," PB said. "I didn't know much about Seph, but he gave his life to save this kingdom. He did it despite having no obligation."

Rather than responding, Finn furiously punched the ground in front of him, casing the concrete to crack. Everyone else simply remained quiet for a while, including the soldiers.

"So, I guess the war is finally over?" Marceline asked.

"It'll take a long time to recover… but I think it is," PB replied.

Just everyone was beginning to grow relived, the sound the spinning blades filled the air and a VTOL began to hover above them. Everyone took a few steps back while simply remained staring at the sword in his hands.

The VTOL landed on the ground and its side door opened, making way for Alan and Elaine to step out, both wearing their helmets. The twins remained quiet as they took notice of Seph's destroyed blade. It didn't last long, however, as Alan raised his sword.

"Finn and Phoebe, we're here to take you back to answer for your insubordination," Alan said.

"Are we to understand Mike and Seph are gone?" Elaine asked.

Finn didn't respond, it was Phoebe who stepped forward.

"They… they are," she said.

The twins looked at each other before walking forward and grabbing both Finn and Phoebe.

"Hey, back off!" Flint shouted.

As the fire elemental walked towards them he was quickly knocked down when Elaine kicked him in the chest.

"This doesn't concern you," she said.

"You can't just take them!" PB said.

"We can and we will. Now back off," Alan said.

"Guys, it's okay," Finn said weakly.

Everyone was still hesitant to let them leave, even Marceline already had her axe bass out. Despite this, everyone kept their distance at Finn's statement.

"Flint," Phoebe said, "I'm leaving you in charge of Fire Kingdom."

Flint was taken by surprise at her request.

"Sister, I… I don't know if I…" he tried speaking.

"It's only until the day where I possibly come back. If I don't, then the throne should pass on to one of my other brothers when they come of age," Phoebe explained.

Flint was still hesitant, but otherwise closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I'll… try my best," he said.

Phoebe smiled before she was pulled away and placed inside the VTOL. They were only able to catch a quick glance of each other before the doors closed and the aircraft began to lift off into the air once more.

"Are we seriously just gonna let them be taken?!" Marceline asked.

PB didn't respond. Instead just kept looking helplessly at the VTOL as it began to fly away from the kingdom's borders.

* * *

Seph's vision was very blurry. The only think he could make out was the fact he was no longer inside the Candy Kingdom, instead was in the woods outside its walls; and that's when he realized the explosion had blown him completely outside the kingdom. He groaned as he attempted getting up but was met with nothing but pain across his entire body.

His mechanical arm had been lost as well and chunks of the rest of his power armor were gone. The small gap in between the trees where the sky could be seen allowed him to see the VTOL flying by. He raised his remaining arm, attempting to somehow reach out to it, but it was already gone.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps assaulted his ears. He turned his head in the direction of the noise, and it only took one look at the approaching figure's glowing red eyes to know who it was.

Cypher was accompanied by Thomas and Angle as well, and the three of them stood above the weak and dying Sentinel on the ground. Cypher knelt and stood closer to Seph's face. He raised his hand and removed the mask from his face, causing his eyes to lose their red glow and turn green. And beneath the mask was a face very similar to Seph's.

"You look terrible," Cypher said in his normal voice.

"I've felt worse, though. I don't feel much at the moment," Seph replied.

"You know, this kinda reminds me if when I cut off your arm and leg. You were just as messed up as you are now," Cypher said while chuckling.

"Lucas, you know-"

"THAT IS NOT MY NAME! Not anymore!" Cypher shouted.

"It always has been and you know it," Seph replied.

"My name is Cypher now. Lucas is dead. And now you'll be dead soon as well."

"At least I can die with a sense of honor, little brother," Seph said.

"And we're not brothers anymore either. We haven't been for a long time," Cypher replied.

"We were raised together. We grew up together; we joined the Sentinels together; we trained under Victor and Adrian together. Do you remember none of that?" Seph asked.

"All I remember was being surrounded by weaklings," Cypher replied.

"You know… this fight… will only end in a bloodbath," Seph said while coughing.

Cypher placed a hand behind Seph's head and chuckled.

"But not my blood," he said.

Cypher raised Seph up from the ground and drove his sword through his chest. The two brothers looked at each other in their eyes one more time before Seph's permanently closed for good.

Cypher removed the sword from Seph's chest and let his lifeless body fall back to the ground. He raised his sword closer to his face and wiped away Seph's blood from its blade. Thomas and Angel simply stood watching as Cypher continued to look at Seph.

"So much for that," Thomas said. "Satisfied?"

Cypher looked back at him and smiled.

"Not just yet. But I suppose you could say this is a step in the right direction," Cypher replied.

"And what do we do with the body?" Angel asked.

Cypher sheathed his sword and looked back at Seph.

"Leave him." he said. "There might be a few hungry animals around here that would appreciate the meat."

He put his mask back on and began to walk away, with Thomas and Angel following close behind.

* * *

 **Note: I feel like writing something like this should make me feel bad… but it honestly doesn't. Also, I didn't know Turtle Prince x Flame Prince was a thing now according to _Five Short Tables_.**

 **Ooobserver: Not much veteran support now…**


	25. Chapter 25: The Flameless Phoenix

**Chapter 25: The Flameless Phoenix**

Victor studied the faces of Finn and Phoebe as they sat opposite of his desk. Both of them stared downward to avoid his gaze, while Angie stood near the door leading out.

No one, not even Nora had the chance to see Finn or Phoebe once they arrived from Ooo. The Vanguard soldiers simply led them straight to Victor's office where he waited, handcuffing them behind their backs on the chairs they now sat on.

Victor repeadelty spun a pencil on the center of his desk, making the only noise in the room in the middle of the long silence. The pencil stopped as Victor placed his open palm on top of it, followed by him grabbing it in the air and holding it close to his face. He placed one finger on the sharp point and twisted it until it snapped right off the rest of the pencil, landing somewhere behind the desk out of Finn and Phoebe's view.

Neither Finn nor Phoebe had ever seen him act in this manner, and it only served to increase the tension. Victor placed the pencil back on the center of the desk and clasped his hands together, letting out a sigh.

"Eight years," he said. "Mike had been a member of the Sentinels for eight long years. Not to mention he also had a son who barely saw him enough to begin with. And Seph? Seph had been a member for over twenty! And what happened? You go against my orders and you go down to Earth anyway, getting Mike and Seph involved and causing them to be killed by the very enemy who we've been hunting."

"Victor, everything we did, we did because it was right," Finn said.

"Yeah," Phoebe said. "If we hadn't-"

"No," Victor interrupted. "You did what you _thought_ was right. You prevented a war. Good for you… but not good for Olympia or the Sentinels. This action has brought our progress further back rather than forward. Cypher still roams free and we're left two men short. And one of those men happened to be our very best."

Victor inhaled then exhaled with his eyes closed.

"Not to mention that you also revealed your identities to hundreds of people. Who knows what the Syndicate can gain from all this. You played right into Cypher's hand. You may have done something you think was right, but was it the best course of action to take?"

Finn and Phoebe were both at a loss for words.

"You two realize this action cannot go unpunished. I've already talked to Nora about this before you arrived and she agrees, despite it being hard on her."

"What punishment?" Phoebe asked.

Victor looked back towards Angie, who stood closer to them with a serious expression.

"We'll lock you both up in the holding cells for six months in response for your insubordination," she said in a tone very different from what she usually talked.

Phoebe's eyes widened at the statement, but Finn remained strangely unaffected. After a few seconds of unnerving silence, Finn looked at Victor straight in the eyes.

"Victor," Finn said, "If I may, I'd like to ask a favor. Just hear me out."

Victor looked back towards Angie then back at Finn.

"What is it?" Victor asked.

Finn closed his eye and took a deep breath.

"Going down to Ooo was all my idea. I was the one who pushed Phoebe to go. She may have agreed, but she was going through a tough time and would've done whatever it took to save her people. I take full blame for Mike's and Seph's death and I regret what I've done more than you can imagine. If you could be so kind as to… let Phoebe remain unpunished… and imprison only me for an entire year instead, I'd be very grateful."

Everyone seemed surprised by Finn's statement. But none more than Phoebe.

"What?!" Phoebe asked. "No way, Finn! Victor, I was just as-"

"You will speak when I give you permission to, Phoebe. You're lucky the sentence isn't longer than it already is. Let Finn talk," Victor replied.

"This is all I ask of you. Please," Finn said.

Victor studied Finn carefully. There's was no doubt that he was being serious, and Victor had to somewhat admire his courage. Victor looked up at Angie, who was just waiting for a response from him as well, then back down at Finn.

"You'd be willing to take this punishment for Phoebe?" Victor asked.

"And also because I deserve it," Finn replied, though deep down Victor knew he was lying.

"Very well," Victor said after a while. "Finn Mertens, as punishment for your insubordination and risking the lives of your fellow Sentinels, you will be locked away for an entire year with no human interaction; accepting Phoebe's punishment as well. Meanwhile, Phoebe will remain free."

"Finn, don't do this!" Phoebe shouted. "You don't need to punish yourself for no reason. Let me share the punishment as well!"

"No, Phoebe," Finn replied. "Victor is right. It's my fault Mike and Seph are dead. It's time I take responsibility for it."

Streams of tears began to go down Phoebe's cheeks. She bowed her head to cover her face with her hair, but not exactly hiding the fact she was crying. Victor looked towards Angie and nodded, prompting her to open the door to the office and letting in two Vanguard soldiers.

"Will you please escort Finn to his cell? And kindly release Phoebe from her cuffs," Victor ordered.

The soldiers walked over to Finn first and removed his cuffs to stand him up from the chair, only to immediately handcuff him again. As one soldier held Finn, the other went over to remove Phoebe's cuffs, allowing her to walk free. She stood up slowly and turned towards Finn, her expression now holding anger rather than sadness.

"Phoebe, I-"

Finn was unable to finish as Phoebe slapped him across the face, nearly knocking him to the ground if he wasn't being held. Without another word, Phoebe marched out of the room quickly and out of the sight.

Finn sighed and stood straight again as the soldiers began to lead him out as well.

* * *

The cell where Finn would be kept was placed in a dark empty room. The only source of lighting was a lamp above the cell and the red blinking light of a camera pointed at it. The cell itself was made entirely of glass, with only a door with a built-in lid on it to hand in items.

To Finn's surprise, the cell was well furnished. There was a small glass shower in the corner along with a toilet and a sink with a mirror next to it. There was a toothbrush placed on the sink. A single size bed was in the opposite corner and a small sofa chair right beside it. To other people it might've seen terrible, but Finn was expecting much worse conditions. At least it had all the basics.

Finn's clothes had also been changed. He was now wearing a simple T-shirt, cotton pants, and socks; all white.

Inside the room was Victor, Angie, Erik, Sasha, the twins Alan and Elaine, Nora, and Christine. The only person not present was Phoebe, which admittedly pained Finn but otherwise understood why.

"Are you ready?" Victor asked.

"Wait! Do we really have to do this?" Christine asked.

"If we let anyone do what they want more people will do it. I will not have a repeat of what happened with Cypher," Victor replied.

"Mom, are we just gonna let this happen? He's your son! And my brother!" Christine told Nora.

"I don't want this any more than you do," Nora said. "But Victor is right. Even if he is my son, we have rules."

"Christine," Finn said before she could speak again, "I'm okay with this. Don't worry about me."

"But a whole year without seeing you? Isn't that too much?" Christine asked.

"Most prisoners go decades locked up for insubordination," Alan said.

"You should consider him lucky," Elaine said.

"The more we wait, the harder it will be," Victor said.

Christine looked to be on the verge of crying but no tears could be seen dropping from her eyes. Erik walked forward and placed a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Just so you know, I don't think you're a traitor," he said.

"Me neither," Sasha said.

"Thanks guys," Finn replied.

"And don't worry," Sasha said, "We'll all be waiting for you when you get out."

"Yeah," Erik said. "Maybe when you get out we can all go to a bar and you can get drunk again." Erik chuckled, but he immediately stopped when he got a stern look from Nora. "Just trying to lighten the mood, Your Majesty."

Finn chuckled and patted Erik and Sasha on their shoulders. Both of them stood back and it was Nora's turn to step forward. She pulled Finn towards her wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Be strong, my son," she said.

Finn didn't reply; instead he returned the hug. Christine also hugged him after Nora was done, and then one final quick hug from Angie, which Finn admittedly didn't expect. Once they were all done, Victor removed Finn's handcuffs and walked him to the cell's door.

The door hissed as it opened on its own, no doubt being controlled by whoever was watching through the camera. Finn took one last look at the group behind him, his only regret being Phoebe wasn't there as well. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward and stepped inside the cell, with the door closing behind him as he did.

Minutes passed and everyone in the room eventually began to leave. The last ones to do so were Nora, Christine, and Victor. Nora just looked at Finn from a distance, a pained expression on her face, as Christine placed her hand against the glass. Finn responded in kind by placing his own hand against hers.

Christine was the first to remove her hand, walking next to Nora afterwards. Taking one last look at Finn, both of them left the room, with Victor being the last to leave as he closed the door, leaving Finn in mostly darkness.

* * *

Victor sighed as his hand remained on top of the doorknob. He made doubly sure the door was well closed before leaning against the wall, rubbing his eyes as he did. It was only after he opened them that he noticed Angie was still in the hall, leaning against the wall as well.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Victor replied.

"You didn't have to listen to Finn and just locked the two of them up. Why did you allow him to go through with this and let Phoebe remain free?"

Victor let his head fall back against the wall and he sighed.

"Finn may have had a part in the deaths of Seph and Mike, but he has more courage than most people. We need more of it if we'll be able to defeat the Syndicate. This will help him more than you might think."

Without saying another word, Angie stood away from the wall and began walking away. Victor did the same, walking in the opposite direction.

(MONTH 1)

It had only been a few days since Finn's imprisonment and he was already growing bored. The only pastime he could think to do was stare into the security camera's blinking light. He would often tap his fingers against the ground to have some noise since the room was so quiet. He was slightly startled when the door into the room opened, letting in Scrap as he brought in a tray of food and drink.

Scrap was the only company Finn ever got during the day. Despite being a robot, he appreciated him stopping by nonetheless. Scrap walked up to the cell's glass door and placed the tray through the hole in it, allowing Finn to grab it.

"Thanks," Finn said. Scrap simply waited outside the cell as Finn sat down on the bed and began to eat his food. "Hey, Scrap?"

"What do you need?" Scrap asked.

"I'm just wondering, how's life been so far since Angie reprogrammed you?" Finn asked.

"Mother did not design me to ponder upon such things. However, she often asks me the same question."

"And what is your answer?"

"Mother programmed me to say 'It has been going well, thank you."

"Don't you have some hobbies or anything?" Finn asked in a mouthful.

"Hobbies?" Scrap asked while tilting his head.

"Yeah, you know, stuff you like to do in your free time."

"I only do what I am told to do. I do not have the luxury of free time."

"But doesn't that, like, bother you?"

"I was not programmed to let anything bother me. I am simply here to do the Sentinels' bidding."

Finn stopped talking until he had swallowed the remaining food in his mouth and then took a sip from the glass of water that Scrap had also brought him.

"Do you remember anything from your time in the Syndicate?"

"Mother says my memory banks were damaged during my final fight and she was not able to fix them. Olympia and the Sentinels are the only things I know."

Finn simply nodded and didn't bother to ask any more questions. Once he was done eating the food left in the tray and drinking the last of the water, he handed it back to Scrap.

"I should also mention that ceremonies were held in honor of Seph and Mike. Respects were paid in each of their corresponding districts," Scrap explained.

Finn felt a sudden rise of guilt, but otherwise remained passive.

"Thank you for letting me know," he said.

"I will leave you to your own business," Scrap replied.

The robot said nothing else as he took the tray and walked back out of the room, leaving Finn alone once again as he stared at the ceiling from his bed.

(MONTH 2)

Finn's sweat kept landing on the cage's floor as he kept pushing himself up and down with his arms. Only the palms oh his hands and his toes touched the ground; everything else only stayed several inches above. He had also taken off his shirt to make the exercise easier.

At the same time as every day, Scrap came into the room carrying the tray of food. The robot grew confused when he witnessed Finn's activity and momentarily put the tray down on the ground. He tapped on the glass to get Finn's attention.

"Might I ask what you are doing?" Scrap asked.

"I'm doing push-ups," Finn replied.

"Push-ups?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna get out of shape while I'm in here so I figured I'd do my best to stay that way by doing push-ups every day from now on. Plus it gives me something to stay busy."

"Interesting. But I must notify you that I have brought you your food."

Finn got up from the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he grabbed the tray of food that Scrap handed to him. Once again, the robot waited until Finn was finished before leaving.

"Scrap… how is Phoebe doing?" Finn asked while eating.

'Ever since your imprisonment, she has kept mostly to herself. She trains all day and sleeps all night. She follows that same routine every day and barely speaks to anyone."

"Do other people speak to her?"

"Sometimes Victor and Christine. Everyone else keeps their distance."

"Does she ever speak about me?"

"I do not think so. Though it is clear by her expressions that she still holds some sort of anger towards you."

Finn began to chew slowly and stared blankly into the tray of food.

"Scrap, is it possible for you to do me a favor?" he asked.

"That would depend on what that favor is. What is it that you ask of me?"

"Erik and Sasha have been good friends of me and Phoebe ever since we arrived here. Is it possible you could ask them to give Phoebe some company, or at least try to? I don't want her to get antisocial because of me."

"I will do my best. However, I cannot guarantee she'll accept their company."

"I know. Just let me know how it goes. And, as an extra, could you also check how Christine is doing?"

Scrap slightly bowed his head. Finn handed him the tray once he was done with his food and the robot left the room.

The next day during breakfast, Scrap came in with another tray of food. Without even grabbing the tray, Finn leaned in closer to the glass.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"I went relatively well," Scrap replied. "Erik and Sasha both approached Phoebe and offered to keep her company while also offering to go on a trip with her to the city if she wanted to."

"And?"

"She thought about it for a while, but she eventually agreed. They are leaving tonight. Also, I managed to complete you're other request of asking Christine about her current status."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she was doing just fine and that you shouldn't worry. She's anxious to see you again."

Finn was relieved to hear the news. At least Phoebe would be kept busy in his absence and Christine was doing alright. He thanked Scrap and took the tray of food, following the same routine for the rest of the day.

(MONTH 3)

Finn had never been so bored in his entire life. Aside from there being absolutely nothing to do, it bothered him to have to see the exact same environment over and over and every day.

He tapped the floor with his fingers as he laid on his side. His other hand was being rubbed against his face, where he had grown a light beard. His hair had also gotten longer, though not by much. He began to tap his fingers in rhythm to try and form some kind of tune, but he was interrupted when the door opened.

Scrap was walking towards the cell, but he wasn't carrying a tray of food with him this time. He was carrying something, but the dark environment made it difficult to tell exactly what it was.

"It's not lunchtime yet. What are you doing here?" Finn asked as he stood up.

As Scrap came into view, Finn couldn't help but laugh at the fact he was carrying small scissors and a hair trimmer in his hands. He raised both items and held them through the door's opening.

"Mother has requested that I bring you these," Scrap said.

"How did she know I needed shaving?"

"She is currently watching through the camera."

Finn looked up at the camera with its red flashing light.

"Of course she is," Finn said. "But you can tell her I'm fine."

Scrap took back the scissors and trimmer and walked back out of the room, only to return a few minutes later holding the same items in his hands.

"Mother is insisting," he said as he put the items back through the opening. "Shave."

Finn looked up at the camera.

"Does that camera have audio?" he asked.

"I believe so," Scrap replied.

"I will shave whenever I feel like shaving and I will not be forced to! So you better get used to it!" he looked back down at Scrap. "You can leave."

Scrap bowed his head and left. To Finn's annoyance, he returned again shortly after.

"Mother has a message for you," Scrap said.

"And that is?" Finn asked.

"She said to tell you 'I will make your life more miserable than you can imagine when you get out if you do not shave'."

"What? What is your problem with my hair?!" Finn shouted at the camera.

"May I offer some advice?" Scrap asked.

"What?"

"Mother will not stop until you shave. So I suggest you do."

Finn looked at the camera with a stern look then back at Scrap. The robot moved the scissors and trimmers a bit closer.

"Fine," Finn said as he grabbed the items.

Finn stood in front of the cell's sink and began cutting his hair with the scissors until they were medium-length again. He then used the trimmers to shorten his beard until it was only barely noticeable stubble along his jaw. Once he was done, he washed all of the hair down the drain and handed the scissors and trimmers back to Scrap.

"Happy now?!" Finn asked the camera.

The camera then began to pan up and down, simulating it saying 'yes'.

"If you'll excuse me, I will leave you again," Scrap said.

Finn didn't reply. Once Scrap was out of the room, he sighed and lied down on his bed.

(MONTH 5)

"I have a message for you from Phoebe," Scrap told Finn.

Finn was genuinely surprised Phoebe had wanted to say something to him. He wiped his sweat after getting up from doing push-ups and leaned closer to the glass.

"What did she wanna say?" Finn asked.

"She has asked me to tell you that she is deeply sorry for slapping you and not being there when you were put in this cell. She regrets it greatly."

Finn sighed and placed his forehead against the glass, making it become blurry as his breath kept hitting it.

"Tell her it's alright. I don't blame her at all," Finn replied.

Scrap was about to leave but stopped when he only took one step before turning back around.

"I should also mention it is Christine's seventeenth birthday in two days," he said.

"Really? Well, wish her a happy birthday for me, will ya?"

"Of course."

Scrap bowed his head and left the room, allowing Finn to continue his exercises.

(MONTH 8)

"How's everyone doing? I heard a lot of explosions last night." Finn told Scrap as he ate.

"Everything has been going well. Olympia was celebrating the New Year, and the people were using fireworks," Scrap explained.

"Huh. Have there been no moves from the Syndicate?"

"No. Not for the few months you've been in here. But we also haven't gotten any new leads on them."

"And Phoebe?"

"She is fine. She seems rather happy lately. Christine does as well."

"And what about my mother?"

"Queen Nora has a lot of things to keep her busy, but there's no doubt she misses you. Everyone does."

Finn simply smiled and went back to eating the rest of his food.

(MONTH 10)

Finn handed Scrap the scissors and trimmers once he was finished cutting his hair and shaving.

"Thanks," Finn said.

"Before I go, there's something I need to show you. A message from Queen Nora," Scrap explained.

"Alright. What is it?"

Scrap didn't say a word; instead he raised his forearm and began to press some buttons placed on it. Finn couldn't see what exactly he was pressing from his current angle, but he eagerly awaited for whatever Nora had sent him. With a final press of a button, Nora's message began playing.

At first it sounded like random noise to Finn, but as he allowed his hearing to enhance, it turned out to be the birthday song jingle playing.

Finn could only smile and chuckle. It turned out his birthday was three days earlier than when he originally celebrated it. He found it funny how Nora would even think of doing something like this, but he found it very charming. He also got amused by the fact that he was nineteen years old now.

Once the song finished, Scrap put his forearm back down. Finn chuckled a few more times.

"Tell her I said 'thank you'. It means a lot," Finn said.

"I will make sure to deliver the message," Scrap replied as he began to turn away.

Finn's eye widened and he began to tap his hand against the glass to get the robot's attention.

"Scrap, wait!" Finn said.

Scrap turned back around and walked towards Finn.

"What do you need?" Scrap asked.

"If you can, I want you to get a few items for me," Finn said.

Scrap tilted his head.

"Very well. What is it you require?"

(MONTH 11)

Finn had spent an entire moth working but it was finally done. With the rock hammer, soapstone, and paint that Scrap had brought him, he was able to carve a birthday present for Phoebe.

The carving wasn't very big, only big enough to hold with just one hand. The carving was of a phoenix with both its legs placed on a round base. The bird had both its wings extended and was scratching towards the sky. Finn had made extra sure to put in as many details as possible, from individual feathers to all of the features in the bird's face and beak. He also used to the paint to make the phoenix blue rather than its signature orange fire color and also painted the base brown.

There was a sentence written all around the base which read, _"Even without fire, the Phoenix is still the most majestic bird of all."_

Finn blew on the carving as he finished adding the finishing touches and smiled at his finished work. Scrap had been keeping an eye on Finn during the entire process to make sure he did not attempt anything with the hammer and was waiting outside his cell. Finn walked over and carefully handed him the hammer, the paint, and the sculpture.

"Phoebe's birthday tomorrow. I want you to wait until then to give her this and afterwards play her the same birthday jingle you played for me," Finn explained.

"I will do as you ask," Scrap replied.

Finn sat down on his bed as he watched the robot went outside the room.

The next day, Finn waited as Scrap came into the room and carried the tray of lunch for him. Finn took the tray but quickly placed it on the floor as he leaned in closer to the glass.

"How did it go?" he asked, eager for an answer.

"I was unable to read her emotions," Scrap said.

"What do you mean?"

"After I handed her the sculpture and played the tune just like you asked, she stared at it in awe. As the song progressed and she finished reading the message inscribed on it, tears began to form in her eyes and she eventually began to cry. However, she continued to hold on tightly to the delicate sculpture with care and there was a smile on her face. If she was crying, why would she also show signs of happiness? Was she not sad?"

Finn chuckled and closed his eye as he rested his forehead against the glass.

"No, Scrap. She wasn't sad at all," he said. His eye began to water as well. "Glob, I wish I could've been there to see her face myself."

"Are you okay?" Scrap asked.

"Ye-yeah. I'm just fine, Scrap. Thank you."

Finn smiled at the robot and bid him farewell as he left.

(FINAL MONTH)

It was now nearly an entire year since Finn's imprisonment and the human looked forward to getting out more than anything. There were still two days left before the sentence was over, but the final days have been the longest Finn ever had to go through. Despite the growing anxiousness, he attempted to keep his mind occupied.

Finn just stared blankly at the ceiling as he laid on his bed. He had grown accustomed to the bright light that always hung above his head, so he could keep his eye open without squinting with ease. All of a sudden, however, the light began to flicker.

Not once in the entire year that Finn had been locked up had the light began to malfunction, and that made him feel odd. He sat up on the bed and noticed that the flashing red light on the camera was off and wasn't turning back on. Without warning, the light went out and Finn was surrounded in darkness.

He quickly got up from the bed and nearly tripped. Seconds after regaining his footing, the lights came back on and he was forced to squint his eye from the sudden brightness. Once his eye adjusted to the light, he was able to look around his cell, and looked in shock as he saw Cypher standing right outside of it.

"Sup?" Cypher asked.

Finn grinded his teeth and placed both palms against the glass.

"You!" Finn said.

"Me," Cypher replied. "Just a few more days, Finn. A few more days and this year of boredom will finally be over. I'm actually quite excited. Oh, and don't worry about the cameras. They're set to play the same recording of you lying on your bed over and over until I'm gone."

"You honestly expect me to fall for any more of your tricks?"

"I'm not trying anything. This is simply a friendly conversation between us. Is it not possible to have one of those once in a while?"

"You killed Mike. And you got Seph killed as well!"

"Who needed them? You can manage just fine. In fact, I'd say this will make things more interesting."

"How can you go killing whoever you please without feeling anything? Weren't Mike and Seph your friends once?"

"Mike was always a pain. And Seph…" Cypher removed his mask to show his face, "was a lousy brother."

Finn's eye widened and he stood away from the glass.

"Your… brother?" Finn asked.

"I'm guessing he never told you. Neither did Victor. Couldn't blame them, though. I suppose he also didn't tell you about the day you were born."

"What are you talking about?!" Finn shouted.

"I was there Finn. I was there the day Martin was forced to take you away. You know why? Because I helped him escape. I made the choice to help you live rather than follow my orders and kill you! But Seph thought otherwise. He thought you deserved to die along with Martin. So tell me, who do you think the real villain is? Me or a city that thinks it can choose to kill whoever it wishes just because they loved the wrong person?"

Finn didn't reply. He just stared at the ground as his head touched the glass.

"And what did I get for doing what was right? I was locked up in the same cell you stand in now for five years," Cypher said.

"But does that excuse all the other lives you took?" Finn asked.

"No. But never say I'm fully coldhearted, Finn. And I'll show you why."

Cypher looked away from the cell into the one of the dark corners of the room and whistled. From the shadows walked two robots carrying a large box covered with a brown tarp. Finn looked in confusion as the robots set the box down on the ground next to Cypher, who then pulled the tarp off instantly.

Finn's eye widened in surprise at seeing his brother, Jake, locked the glass box.

The dog still looked the same as before, save for a few bruises along his body. He looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of Finn looking down at him.

"Finn!" he shouted. His voice was barely audible from being behind the glass.

"Jake?!" Finn asked.

"Oh, I just knew you were still alive! It takes a lot more to bring you down! What happened to your eye?"

Here he is," Cypher said as he placed his hand on top if the box. "Safe and sound. Not a hand laid on him."

"It doesn't look that way," Finn said.

"Eh, a few beatings here and there but nothing serious," Cypher replied.

"Finn, you have to stop these guys! They're gonna-"

Jake couldn't finish as a scream of pain came from his mouth when the cell was surrounded by electricity. The shock caused the dog to become unconscious and fall on his side in the box.

"NO!" Finn shouted.

"Sorry," Cypher said. "But we're running short on time for reunions."

"I'm gonna kill you when I get out of here. I swear it!" Finn shouted as he slammed his fist against the glass.

Cypher walked closer to the cell until his head nearly touched the glass.

"Listen closely, Finn. I am giving you one more chance to join us. If you do, you can have your friend back. If you don't, I won't hesitate to kill you if you try to get in our way. What's it gonna be?"

"No," Finn answered quickly. "So that I can help you kill hundreds others in the process? I will find you eventually, Cypher. And when I do, I plan on taking Jake with me back home. That's a promise."

Cypher didn't seem very pleased with Finn's answer. He stepped away from the glass and put his mask back on, making his eyes return to their red color.

"So be it," he said.

The lights began to flicker once more and turned off completely, leaving Finn in darkness. They turned on a few seconds later and Cypher was gone, along with Jake.

The final day of imprisonment had finally come. Finn was greeted in the morning by Victor instead of Scrap, and he was the first human face he had seen for an entire year. Finn got up from the bed as Victor unlocked the door to the cell.

"You're free to go, Finn," he said.

Victor waited near the entrance as Finn walked towards the edge of the cell. With a deep breath, he stuck his foot outside and began walking towards Victor, enjoying the feeling of being able to walk freely.

He squinted his eyes as he went out of the room and was met with the many bright lights of the hallway.

"Everyone is eager to see you again. They're waiting for you in the courtyard. But I suggest you stop by your room first and freshen up. Those clothes are dirty."

"Thanks Victor," Finn said.

Victor smiled warmly at Finn and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back," he said.

Finn smiled back before he began to walk away, heading towards his quarters.

Despite not walking across the halls for over a year, he remembered the layout pretty well. The only thought racing through his mind was meeting Phoebe again, which prompted him to begin jogging down the halls, and then sprint. Even after an entire year of little exercise, he ran across the halls with incredible speed and agility as he made sharp turns around each corner.

He wanted to cheer, but something told him not to. Despite being free, he also couldn't get his mind off his encounter with Cypher. Saving Jake was one of his first priorities and he planned to get started as soon as possible.

With another sharp turn, the sleeping quarters came into view. He would've continued going towards his room if it wasn't for the fact Phoebe was waiting for him in the center of the hallway.

Finn's eye never blinked, he never moved, he only breathed. The sight of her after so much time was like seeing her again for the first time; her red hair, her crimson eyes, her beautiful looks in general. It was one of the best feelings of his life.

She was just standing there, fingers crossed with each other and staring with awe at Finn. She only wore a plain red shirt along with black pants, and the necklace with the red gem still hung around her neck. Finn didn't care much about the way she dressed, however; just her. Neither of them had changed much in appearance, but that was just fine with both. Finn began to slowly walk forward until they were both inches from each other.

Staring into her eyes, Finn cleared his throat.

"Hey," he said.

She didn't respond. She just kept staring at him with wide eyes. It was then Finn noticed her lips had puckered up and her eyes began squinting a bit, followed by tears forming in her bottom eyelids. With a swift motion, her arms were wrapped tightly around him as she pulled him into a hug. He wasted no time in returning the affection.

She began to cry into his shoulder. As much as he hated having to hug her with his dirty clothing, he continued to hold on to her with as much strength as she was holding him. Finn let a single tear also drop from his eye and fall on her shoulder.

"I… I'm sorry," she said while still hugging him.

"What for?" Finn asked.

"For what I did. I shouldn't have slapped you… and I shouldn't have stayed away as you were being locked up. It was a horrible thing for me to do."

"Hey, hey," he gently pushed her away and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her teat filled eyes. "It's okay. I understand that you were angry with me and I never blamed you in the slightest. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes I do! There's no excuse!"

Phoebe continued crying. Even though she currently had her eyes closed, she could feel Finn's hand rubbing against her cheek and wiping her tears away. She reopened them and found him smiling.

"I'm not mad. And do you know why?" he asked. Phoebe moved her head from side to side. "Remember when we were stranded in the desert and me, you, Erik, Sasha, and Mike all thought we were gonna die?" she nodded. "Well, I wanted to tell you something that day. Something I couldn't get the chance to say and wanted to for a very long time."

"What was it?" she asked.

Her eyes widened, her breathing stopped, and she remained perfectly still as Finn pulled her into a kiss.

Phoebe was genuinely surprised at his move, as well as Finn himself for somehow finding the courage to do it. He expected her to push him back quickly, but instead she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his back. He moved his own arms as well so they were placed on her cheeks.

Their mouths separated only for a split second as they caught their breath but went right back to kissing afterwards. Phoebe moved her hands up so they were now placed on Finn's shoulders, pulling him even closer. Finn also moved his hands so they were placed on her hips.

While the kiss had started out very gently, it began to pick up the more they did it. Each one could feel their hearts racing to the point where it felt as if it would burst through their chests. Continuing their attempts to catch breath between kisses, they continued.

Finn nearly tripped as Phoebe moved herself forward and forced him to move back. He turned his back towards the wall and leaned against it to avoid falling over.

Neither of them were getting even close to stopping despite the lack of air. The feeling of finally being able to touch each other's lips was too much for them to let go. Finn moved his hands up to her back and began to move them; one down, one up, in that pattern.

When they were both officially out of air, their lips separated and they once again stared into each other's eyes. They took dep breaths as they recovered from the ordeal, and Finn was able to mutter the words he had been meaning to say.

"I love you."

Phoebe smiled and snuggled her head against his chest.

"I love you too," she said.

They both remained in each other's arms for a while. Exactly how long, neither of them could say. Finn rested his chin against the top of her head.

"By the way, did you like your birthday present?" Finn asked.

Phoebe chuckled and looked up at him.

"I loved it," she replied.

Finn smiled and leaned in to kiss her again. Unknown to them, however, Angie walked around the corner.

"Hey, Finn, good to-"

She stopped and all of their eyes widened as they saw each other. Finn and Phoebe quickly pushed each other away as their cheeks blushed.

There was an awkward silence between them for what felt like the longest time. Angie's eyes kept moving from Finn to Phoebe in a constant pattern, analyzing both of them. Eventually, she smiled and chuckled as she folded her arms.

"I'll… tell everyone you're nearly ready," she said before walking away casually.

Finn rubbed the back of his head and looked down at his clothing.

"I, uh… should probably change my clothes," he said.

Phoebe looked at his current clothing and realized how dirty they looked.

"Uh, yeah. Good idea," she said.

Finn cleared his throat and walked past her as he entered his room, leaving Phoebe staring into the ceiling with her back against the wall.

* * *

Christine was the first to jump in and hug Finn tightly. The sudden force nearly knocked Finn to the ground, especially since he couldn't see it coming on account that he was blinded by the sun's rays. When he managed to remain in balance, he returned the hug.

"You're finally out!" Christine said.

Everyone was standing in the courtyard waiting for Finn. None of them had changed much in the time he was absent. Except for Erik, who now had some actual hair on his head. After Christine was finished, Nora walked forward and hugged him, though her hug was gentler than Christine's.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said.

"It's good to be back," Finn replied.

Angie hugged him afterwards, and her hug was tighter than Christine's. Then came a hug from Sasha, a pat in the shoulder from Erik, and a simple wave from the twins and Victor.

"How did it feel to be a convict?" Erik asked.

"Not as bad as I was expecting," Finn said, if being a bit modest.

"How did it feel when you got out?" Angie asked with a smirk, and Finn and Phoebe knew what she was talking about.

"It felt… awesome," he replied.

"Well," Erik said as he wrapped his arm around Finn's neck, "I figured it was time we got you a little 'Welcome back' present."

"What kind of present?" Finn asked.

Angie looked towards Scrap, who was standing behind the group holding a long case, and nodded at him. The robot walked forward and held the up for Finn to open. When he did, he was surprised, and also pained, to see it was Seph's sword.

The blade had been fixed and looked just like it did before. There was not a single scratch on it. Reaching forward slowly, Finn grabbed the sword's handle and lifted it up, staring at his reflection in the blade.

"Why are you giving me this?" Finn asked.

"Not just the sword," Victor said as he stepped forward. "We've been talking it over and we've come to a unanimous conclusion. You see, there's no doubt you know by now that Seph was the second in command of the Sentinels. With him gone… we were hoping you would fill the position."

Finn's eye widened at their request.

"You get to be the new Seph!" Erik said.

Finn looked at Phoebe, who was smiling along with everyone else.

"But," he said as he turned to face the others, "it was mostly my fault that Seph died. And besides, isn't there someone more qualified for the position? Like one of the twins, for example?"

"We're fighters, not leaders," Alan said.

"Just point us towards what you want done," Elaine said.

"And we'll make damn sure it gets done," Alan said.

Finn looked back at the sword, turning and twisting it around. He gave it a few flips in his hand and held in front of his face with its blade facing towards the sky.

"Okay. I'll do it," Finn said.

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!" Erik said.

"Now, it's been great catching up with you all. But there's still the Syndicate to worry about. Do we have anything on them?" Finn asked.

"No," Sasha said. "I mean, 'No, sir'."

Finn seemed disappointed, but then he was patted in the back by Erik.

"Ah, don't think about that right now. You've been locked up for a whole year and it's time you got some fresh air. So walk around, enjoy yourself for a while," Erik said.

"Eh, maybe you're right…" Finn said.

"Of course I'm right," Erik replied.

"Well, I think it's time we allow Finn to get started, shouldn't we Erik?" Nora asked.

"Uh, yes, You Majesty," he said before walking with Sasha and the twins further into the training grounds.

Victor and Angie bid Finn farewell before they went to attend business inside the building. Nora walked up and placed a hand on Finn's cheek.

"I'm afraid I have things to work with as well. But this doesn't mean we won't see each other soon enough," she said.

"I look forward to it," Finn replied.

Nora smiled and let go of his cheek as she began walking away. Christine walked over and placed a quick kiss on Finn's cheek.

"I'm gonna go help her. We'll catch up later!" she said the last sentence as she walked away.

Finn was now left alone with just Phoebe as they watched all the other Sentinels training. He looked at his sword one more time, gazing into the green glow of its edge.

"Congratulations," Phoebe said.

"Yeah. I suppose it's pretty cool," Finn replied unenthusiastically.

Phoebe sighed and looked around to make sure no one was looking. When they weren't, she leaned in and placed a kiss on Finn's lips.

"You'll do great. I know you will," she said. Finn smiled. "By the way, you should shave. You look like a pirate."

Finn chuckled before Phoebe walked away. As he stood watching everyone else training, he gave another look at Seph's blade, remembering the words Cypher had told him about him trying to kill him and Martin.

' _I don't care what Seph might have tried to do in the past. I will wield this sword in his honor and I will track you down, Cypher. And when I find you, I'll kill you and rescue Jake. That's a promise.'_

* * *

 **Note: What's this? A chapter with a happy ending after so long?! Yaaay! And I imagine it ended with what you were all waiting for.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: At least they were consequences worth taking.**

 **Ooobserver: There's no need to be scared. I'm a nice guy... Mostly.**


	26. Chapter 26: Unexpected Guests

**Chapter 26: Unexpected Guests**

* * *

 **Note: I would like to point out that a certain part of this chapter might make some people uncomfortable. When you come across it, you won't miss any huge story elements and are free to skip. Some symbols (XXXXXX) will appear to let you all know when it begins and when it ends.**

* * *

The dummy's head came clean off as Finn kicked it with great force. It flew all the way across the yard and hit the wall, cracking open before it feel against the grassy ground.

The sun shined warmly above Olympia as everyone spent their time on the training grounds. Phoebe stood near Finn, resting her hand against her sword while it was impaled on the ground. She watched as Finn recovered from the hit he had made on the dummy's head and continued slashing away at the rest of the body.

It had been two weeks now since Finn was released from his cell. All of the exercises he had done while locked up did in fact prove useful for his fighting, as his moves were as fluent and balanced as ever. The only minor inconvenience was his inability to fully fight properly with his eyepatch, which still limited half his view of any target.

The rest of the dummy was nothing but pieces lying on the ground as Finn finished cutting it to pieces with Seph's sword. Phoebe smiled widely with amusement at the sight of his accomplishment and stepped forward.

"Nice. An entire year locked up in a cell and you haven't gotten any worse," she said.

Finn spun his sword around a few times before putting it back inside its sheathe. He then took off his helmet, showing his sweat covered face.

"Well, it's still no Shadowless Thrust," he said.

"You're still bummed about that? You'll get it in time, don't worry," she replied as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

She leaned closer and tried giving Finn a kiss but instead he pushed her away gently.

"Phoebe, no one here knows we're dating yet," he said.

"Yeah they do," Sasha said as she walked towards them. "Angie told everyone."

"What?! Why?!" Finn asked.

"Angie is very careful with her secrets, but not everyone else's," Sasha replied. "But you shouldn't be upset. It's actually great you guys are going out. Well… if you can call staying in here all day going out."

Finn and Phoebe both raised their eyebrows at her.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"You two have done nothing but stay in here and train ever since Finn got out. And this isn't the most romantic of places."

"Sasha!" Erik called out to her from across the training grounds.

"Coming!" she said before turning back to Finn and Phoebe. "I gotta run."

Sasha then ran back towards Erik and they went about their business. Finn just shrugged his shoulder and moved on to swing his sword at another dummy further down the line, effectively taking it out just as easily as the previous. Phoebe simply continued watching his progress.

"You know… maybe she's right," Phoebe said.

Finn stopped swinging at the dummy and turned to her.

"Who?" he asked.

"Sasha. I mean, you've been locked up for an entire year and you've done nothing but train ever since you were set free. Don't you think you should be, I don't know, enjoying yourself a bit more?"

"The Syndicate could strike at any given moment and I haven't gotten fully used to fighting with just one eye. Cypher wont rest, so why should I? Especially since I'm second in command now."

"I highly doubt one day of resting will change much. Come on, when was the last time you had any sort of fun?"

"Two weeks ago when a certain someone wouldn't part her lips from mine."

Finn smirked and Phoebe pushed him on the shoulder as she blushed.

"Shut up. You kissed me first," she said.

"Yeah… to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure why I did it. Maybe my brain was still jacked from all that time in a glass box."

"I still stand by my point."

Finn raised his sword to start attacking the dummy once more, but instead he lowered it back down.

"Maybe you're right," he said. "Tell you what, how about we both go out tonight? Walk around, maybe a nice dinner, anything."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I suppose. Just like old times. What do you say?"

Phoebe remained silent for a moment as she pretended to think it over. At least Finn thought she was pretending. He then started to notice her expression changed and she appeared upset.

"Finn, I have to ask… do you really wanna do this?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Look around you. We're in a city filled with nothing but humans. You have the chance to finally be with someone of your own kind. I may look human now, but deep down I'm not. Would you really want to go out with me despite those facts?"

Finn walked up to her and ran a hand through her hair.

"Of course I would. Even if you were still made of fire I would go out with you. Sure, there are plenty of humans, but you're the only one who I can cherish beyond anyone else. The question is, do you wanna be with me knowing one day you might get your powers back?"

Phoebe smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. Finn deepened the kiss by placing both hands on her cheeks. When their lips separated, he didn't move his hands away.

"Finn…" Phoebe said, "if not having my powers means that I get to be with you… then I don't want them back."

"What about your kingdom? Don't you mean to go back and rule it?"

"I trust my family to keep things under control. It'll be fine."

"It's a date then?" he asked.

Phoebe leaned in and kissed him.

"Tonight. It's a date," she said.

* * *

Angie's goggles were being assaulted by the large stream of sparks rising from the saw. The round spinning blade continued cutting through the large piece of metal currently on the table, becoming weaker and looser the farther she cut.

Jeffrey the spider was currently eating in his tiny cage, watching her from the other side of the room. His eyes jumped a bit when the piece of metal finally came loose and fell to the ground, barely missing landing on Angie's feet. She removed her goggles and sighed as she looked at Jeffrey.

"You know, I don't get why so many people are afraid of something as cute as you," she said.

The door to the room opened and Scrap stepped inside, carrying a small white cup in his hand.

"Your tea, Mother," he said.

"Thank you, honey," she replied as she grabbed the tea and took a sip. "You're free to rest for now."

Scrap nodded and walked towards the corner of the room. He sat down with his knees touching his chest and powered down.

As Angie continued drinking her tea, there was a knock on her door. She put down the cup to open it and gave a polite smile when it turned out to be Finn.

"Ah, Finn, what brings you here?" she asked.

"Hey, Angie," Finn said as he walked in after being allowed to. Angie closed the door after he did. "I need a favor."

"Well, go ahead. Tell your Aunt Angie."

Finn shivered as he briefly looked towards Jeffrey before back at Angie.

"I'm going on a date with Phoebe tonight over on Diamond District,"

"Ah, I see. You want advice. Well, I haven't been on a date since that one time twenty-seven years ago, but he ended up losing his left pinky finger."

"What? No, not that. I was just wondering if you could give me something to hide," he gestured at the eye covered by the eyepatch, "this."

"Oh. Well, I can't make the skin itself look better. And if you're thinking of something a bit fancier, I don't think I have anything lying around at the moment. And if I were to try and make you something, it wouldn't be ready by tonight."

Finn just nodded in understanding.

"Alright then," he said.

"Ah, don't be so down, Finn" Angie said as she patted his shoulder. "If anyone sees you with an eyepatch, they should envy you. It shows you're tougher than they are."

Finn smiled and turned to walk out the door. He stopped just as he reached the doorknob and shot another glance at Angie as she took another sip of her tea.

"Angie?" Finn asked, stepping back into the room.

"Yeah?"

"How long did you know Seph for?"

The mention of Seph clearly made her upset, but she still managed to take another sip before setting the cup back down.

"A long time. Seph might've looked young, but he was one of the older Sentinels."

"And did he have any family?"

"Not really."

Finn bit his lower lip for a second and leaned on the same table as Angie.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Angie looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I am," she replied, as if she was insulted.

"Are you sure he didn't have a brother?"

Angie was not struggling with her words. She was caught off guard by Finn's questions and couldn't come up with a proper answer. Giving up, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Seph had-"

"A younger brother."

Both Finn and Angie turned as Victor came into the room, carrying a small folder in his hand. He walked up and held up the folder to Angie.

"Here you go," he said as he handed the case. As Angie placed the case down on the other side of the room, Victor turned to Finn. "Two boys found by the previous leader, Adrian, on the streets of Emerald District. Alone and left to starve, he took them in and we both trained them to fight. The youngest trainees to ever become Sentinels. There's not much else to say about them."

"And don't you think that information was worth mentioning at some point?" Finn asked.

"We thought it was best if neither you nor Phoebe knew."

"Knew that we were hunting down Seph's own brother? The same man who I once looked up to and now I wield the same sword he once did?! Not to mention the fact that he apparently tried to kill me after I was born."

"As did I, but the events of the past don't matter anymore. Cypher turned traitor and now he lives while Seph is dead. The sooner he is dealt with as well, the better." Victor placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. "I know it might seem hard, but all of the other Sentinels are expecting you to lead them when I can't. Focus on the objective and no one else will die before Cypher is brought to justice."

Finn didn't look at Victor in the face but nodded nonetheless. Without saying another word, Victor took his hand off Finn's shoulder and walked back out of the room, leaving Finn and Angie alone once more.

She walked up next to him and took another sip of her tea, which had apparently grown cold judging by the look on her face.

"So, anything else you need before you leave?" she asked.

Finn thought for a moment as he rubbed his chin.

"Actually," he said, "there is something you could do."

* * *

Phoebe sat on the bed of Sasha's as she looked at the necklace wrapped around her neck. The only light in the room was from a single lamp on a table in the corner, giving the room a shadowy look. Meanwhile, Sasha was rummaging through her closet, mumbling to herself as she picked out some clothing only to put it back in with the rest.

Sasha drew Phoebe's attention when a delighted gasp came from her mouth when she pulled out a red thigh length dress. She held the dress in front of her as she turned to Phoebe.

"You should definitely wear this one," she said.

"Black?" Phoebe asked. "Eh, I don't know… It's never really been my style."

Sasha sighed in frustration.

"You're going on a date in only a few hours. You're gonna have to pick _something_. Plenty of people in Diamond District wear black. And this one really matches your red hair and eyes,"

Phoebe just slightly shrugged.

"Do you think this is a good idea? The date, I mean," Phoebe said.

Sasha put the dress back in the hanger and sat next to Phoebe.

"What are you saying? Of course it is. You and Finn have been through a lot since you joined the Sentinels and you've barely had time to hang out together. Besides, there hasn't been any Syndicate activity for a whole year. You'll never get a better chance to enjoy yourself than now."

"I suppose you're right. But still…"

Sasha placed a hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

"It's gonna be fine. Trust me. Now come on, I can't help you pick out an outfit if you just sit here and mope."

"I just feel like… ever since Finn got out from his imprisonment, something has been bothering him. He hides it, but I can see it in his eyes."

"Being locked up for an entire year tends to do that to ya."

"But even before that. Maybe it's because of the Syndicate taking his friend, Jake, but he's different from what I remember him."

"Well, of course he is. Everyone changes with time. Believe it or not, Angie said that when Seph was just a recruit, you could actually hear him laugh sometimes."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow at her.

"Seph laughing? I can't even imagine that."

"Yeah. But I guess the whole problem with Cypher changed him. Now come on, enough of this drama. Come help me pick out your clothes."

Despite her worries, Phoebe found it in herself to smile.

"Okay. Show me that black dress again."

* * *

Finn waited just outside the Sentinel headquarters. It was late but the sun had not fully gone down, giving the sky a beautiful combination of orange and blue. He was wearing a simple tuxedo that Erik lent to him. It felt rather tight since it wasn't exactly his, but he could manage just fine. His bowtie was a bit angled, but he fixed it and was straight once more.

The only people around were the Vanguard soldiers patrolling the area, but it was mostly empty during the late hours of the afternoon. Two of the guards walked past Finn and they bowed their heads respectfully without stopping.

Finn had his attention focused on the trees nearby, so the sound of the door opening behind him startled him. He turned and his only eye widened when it fell upon Phoebe.

The black dress she wore complemented her looks perfectly. Her hair was neatly kept and she wore a simple black headband on her head to keep it still. She wore black heals but they only rose an inch off the ground. Three black bracelets were around her left wrist.

She also had a pair of black earrings. Red lipstick was placed on her lips and along with some mascara for her eyes, but she didn't wore much in the way of makeup-not that Finn wouldn't be impressed if she had none. The necklace she always wore hung beautifully from her neck and seemed to glow with a brighter shade of red on account of the remaining sunshine.

There was a slight stutter in Finn's words as he tried to speak.

"Y-you look… incredible," he said.

Phoebe smiled and walked closer to him.

"Thank you," she replied. "You look rather handsome yourself."

"Is that counting the eyepatch?"

"Of course. I honestly forget it's even there sometimes."

"Thanks… even if you're just saying it to make me feel better."

"Finn, please try to be happy tonight. You deserve it after all you've been through. After all _we've_ been through."

Finn sighed and a smile appeared on his face.

"Well then," he said as he curtsied, "shall we get going, M'Lady?"

"Ooo, what a gentleman."

Finn wrapped his right arm over Phoebe's shoulder as she leaned her head on his and the two began to walk together.

The sun was now beginning to set completely and the first stars began to appear in the sky. The sound of crickets could be heard in the air along with the chirping of several birds still awake. Finn and Phoebe simply listened to sounds rather than speak to each other, but neither minded the experience.

The Guardian Tree came into view, standing as tall as Finn remembered it. The sunflowers standing around the trunk's base were all still there but they looked more yellow than the last time Finn saw them, meaning they were new flowers that had been grown. He and Phoebe stopped to admire the tree as the final rays of the sun illuminated its leaves.

"It's been a while since I've seen it," Finn said. "How about you?"

"Several times," Phoebe replied. "But it never fails to amaze me whenever I see it. None of the trees I've seen in Ooo are this tall."

 **XXXXXX**

Finn remained with his arm wrapped around Phoebe. A strange noise reached his ear as they watched the tree and he began looking around, but the same could not be said for Phoebe.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just… I thought I heard something."

Phoebe shrugged and returned her gaze forward. She unwrapped herself Finn's shoulder and walked over to touch the sunflower. Meanwhile, the same noise hit Finn's ear, and this time he could make it out as a female giggle.

He turned in the direction of the noise, which was to the left beyond the trees, and walked closer to it. Phoebe turned around and looked at Finn weirdly.

"Finn, where are you going?" she asked.

Finn shushed her and focused his hearing once more. Another giggle could be heard, and Phoebe heard it this time as well.

"You hear that, right?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Phoebe replied.

At the risk of getting his tuxedo dirty, Finn walked off the stone road and went into the trees. Phoebe was hesitant but followed him when she called him several times but never got a reply.

They pushed some of the flora out of the way as they walked. Phoebe found it annoying, but she could not deny the fact that she was just as interested in finding the source of the sound. Luckily, they didn't have to walk very far, and the source of the sound was clear as they saw through the bushes that it was Christine.

There would be cause for concern if she was out by herself, only she wasn't. Another woman was standing next to her, laughing along with Christine as she said something neither Finn nor Phoebe could make out from their current distance.

The other woman had very pale skin. Her hair was long and was a very dark shade of black with a few white strands running down each side of her hazel eyes. She was several inches taller than Christine, forcing the woman to look down at her as Christine was forced to look up.

Her clothing was a black leather jacket along with black pants and black long boots. Long netted gloves ran up her arm until they reached just below her elbow. To put it plainly, the woman seemed to be the complete opposite of Christine in terms of fashion. Finn could likely compare her to Marceline in some way.

Finn and Phoebe kept hidden from the girls' sight as they walked closer. Using the bushes and trees for cover, they were able to reach them and hear their conversation.

"I should probably get going. It's getting late," said the strange woman.

"Aw, do you have to?" asked Christine, sounding upset.

"We'll see each other soon. Besides, I doubt the queen would want you out this long."

Christine sighed.

"You're right. I guess I'll see you around."

Just when things couldn't get any more confusing for Finn and Phoebe, they were both caught completely off guard when the woman put both her hands on Christine's hips and pulled her into a tender kiss. Christine wrapped both her arms around the woman's neck and stood on her toes to deepen the kiss without any hesitation. Both women kept their eyes closed through the entire ordeal.

Finn and Phoebe both stood absolutely dumbstruck. Out of all the things they expected to see or know about Christine as a person, this was certainly not one of them. Though despite the abundance of thoughts and questions racing through their minds, they couldn't but also smile as the two girls ended their kiss.

"Christine… I love you," the woman said.

"I love you too, Sandra," Christine replied with just as much truth.

Both girls unwrapped their arms from around each other and Sandra began to walk away, playfully rubbing Christine's head before she disappeared behind the rest of the trees. Christine, on the other hand, remained with her left shoulder resting against the tree as she kept looking in the direction Sandra went.

Finn and Phoebe came out of their hiding spot and stood right behind Christine, with the princess having no idea of their presence.

"Having fun?" Finn whispered in her ear as he leaned in.

As expected, Christine gasped in surprise and shouted when she turned around and saw them both. She nearly tripped as she stood back, but Finn was fast enough to catch her before she fell to the ground; even though she gave him little time to remain holding her.

"What are you doing here?!" she asked as her cheeks grew red, more from embarrassment than anger.

"We were just walking by and figured we'd stop and say hello," Phoebe said.

"In the middle of the forest with that clothing?" Christine asked. "Were you… spying on me?!"

"No, we weren't," Finn replied. "Though I don't see why you're getting so worked up."

"Isn't it obvious?!" Christine asked.

"Christine, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I think it's great," Finn replied.

"Mom will think otherwise if she found out. She'd never let me leave the palace again!" Christine explained.

"Why would she be mad? Is it not allowed?" Phoebe asked.

Christine rubbed the back of her head.

"Technically yes since she's part of a royal family. But you gotta understand the difficulty of having an heir in that situation. If I fail to have an heir to the throne, they'll appoint members from other royal families. Meaning an end to my family's line."

"You're saying it's possible for Olympia to have two queens?" Phoebe asked.

"Not exactly," Christine replied. "If we were to get married, which is highly unlikely, the only queen would me. However, Sandra would still have more authority than anyone else from the royal families."

"How long have you two known each other?" Finn asked.

Christine sighed and rested her back against the tree.

"It was around two months after you were locked up. Mom had to attend a seminar being held in Diamond District, which is a common occurrence lately. She took me there and there were several other royal families attending. You wouldn't believe the amount of princes trying to talk to me there."

"I take it they tried to be your suitors?" Phoebe asked.

"They did. I just ended up politely turning them down since I wasn't in a very good mood that day. However… there was a certain girl that caught my attention. Sandra."

Christine leaned down and picked up a pebble from the ground.

"She walked up to me and asked if I was doing okay. I wasn't entirely sure what prompted her to ask, maybe she knew I wasn't feeling well. Anyway, so we start talking for a bit and I actually start to feel a little better to the point where I started to laugh at some of her jokes. Despite some obvious physical differences, we actually had a lot in common."

She threw the pebble upwards a few inches and caught it in her hand as it came back down. Meanwhile, Finn and Phoebe were both still paying attention.

"After that, we started hanging out and talking more often. About a month later… I started to like her. _Really_ like her. I hadn't felt this way about anyone else in my entire life, and I found it strange. And then, during one of our walks through this very forest, I somehow got the courage to tell her about my feelings. Just when I thought I had made a huge mistake and was about to start apologizing, she leans in… and kisses me. And we've been seeing each other since."

As she finished her story, Christine threw the rock a few feet away and it landed softly on the ground. The blush on her cheeks had disappeared and she seemed to have calmed down from her tussled attitude when she first started.

She looked up at Finn and Phoebe when Finn placed a hand on her shoulder, both of them smiling warmly at her.

"Christine, knowing Mom, I highly doubt she would be upset at all about any of this," Finn said.

"You're probably right," Christine replied. "But still… can I ask you two to keep this a secret? Please?"

"If you plan to stay with Sandra, the two of you shouldn't keep it a secret for long," Phoebe said.

"The thing is, Sandra thinks Mom _does_ know," Christine replied. "If she found out, she would probably be saying the same thing you are."

"As she has reason to," Phoebe replied. "If the two of you want to be together, you shouldn't let other people's opinions get between you."

Neither fully understood why, but Phoebe's statement made her and Finn briefly look at each other. Christine sighed as she gently removed Finn's hand from her shoulder.

"You're right. Of course you're right. But I want to let Mom know when the time is right. So please keep this a secret," she pleaded.

"Alright, we will," Finn said.

"You can count on us," Phoebe added.

Christine smiled and pulled both of them into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. After letting go, she looked up at the sky as the moon began to shine through the trees. "I have to go back. I'll see you two around."

She waved at Finn and Phoebe as she began to walk back home. As soon as she was out of sight, Finn felt Phoebe tug on his arm and pull him closer.

"If I recall correctly, I believe we had a date planned?" she said.

"Oh, right. Let's go," Finn replied as they both began walking to their original destination.

 **XXXXXX**

* * *

Diamond District was still as vibrant and colorful as Finn and Phoebe had remembered from their previous visit. There weren't many people on the sidewalks, but the roads themselves were full of their numerous fancy cars and large buses.

Phoebe kept herself occupied as they walked by looking in through the windows of the numerous shops and businesses. Finn, on the other hand, kept his head low through most of the trip as several people often looked with questioning glances at his eyepatch. He tilted his head in such a way that his hair covered most of it, but at least it also served to keep him from seeing the people's actual faces.

Much to Finn's annoyance, however, Phoebe had stopped glancing at her surroundings and took notice of his actions. She grabbed his chin and lifted his head to where his face was clearly visible once more to the walking public.

"Your missing eye just means you've been through more than they ever will. You shouldn't be embarrassed about anything," she said.

Finn didn't respond back, but he kept his face up for the rest of the trip as more people glanced at him as they walked past.

They eventually reached the restaurant, which was named "Harryhausen's". Finn only heard about it as a suggestion from Erik but didn't know much else. After glaring at the name for a few seconds, they both stepped inside.

The walls on the inside of the building were colored with a very dark yellow. Further inside the building were columns that supported the structure, also painted the same way as the walls. The floors were all covered in red carpeting and the tables were all decorated with white cloth. The lights were all dimmed down to give the room a dark environment. Most of the lighting came from outside the massive windows, which were decorated with just as bid red curtains.

The only thing keeping Finn and Phoebe from going further inside was a man in a suit standing behind a brown stand in front of the doorway.

"Welcome to Harryhausen's," the man said politely. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh…" Finn said as he remembered something Erik had told him earlier: _"If they ask you about a reservation, just raise your right hand at them. That'll take care of the rest."_

Following the exact instructions, Finn raised his hand up for the man to see. The man silently grunted as he reached behind the stand and pulled out a small device and used it to scan Finn's hand. A green light turned on and the device beeped.

"Ah, a Sentinel. Please, right this way," the man said.

Finn looked at Phoebe and shrugged before following the man further inside.

The place was packed, leaving them with only several tables at the far sides of the room. The low chatter of the people echoed through the large room along with the soft playing music. The table where Finn and Phoebe sat was placed near one of the windows, giving them a good view of the streets outside.

As Finn feared, several of the people shot glances at him as he walked by, but he paid them no mind. Once they were properly seated, the man left as he handed them a menu and then thanked them for coming.

"Very fancy," Phoebe said, complementing the establishment. "It must be nearly impossible getting a reservation here."

"Yeah. I guess being a Sentinel does have its perks," Finn replied.

Phoebe smiled as she looked out the window. Her head was turned just at the right angle so she could see Finn's reflection on the glass.

He seemed rather mellow as he played around with one of the silver forks placed on the table.

"Finn, are you doing okay?" Phoebe asked.

His attention was brought back to her.

"Huh? Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Ever since you got out of your imprisonment you've been acting weird. Whenever you act happy around me, I think you're just forcing it."

"But I _am_ happy around you. This is just how I normally act. Being locked up for year hasn't changed me much."

Phoebe grabbed the fork on her side of the table and twisted around with her fingers.

"Fine. But you know I'm only trying to help," she said.

Finn placed his fork back on the table and sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"It's just… it's true something has been bothering me. But it's not the fact I've been locked up for a while."

"What is it? You can tell me."

Finn licked his lips a bit and leaned in closer on the table. Phoebe leaned in closer as well to hear him better.

"It's about Cypher. Well, mostly Seph as well," he said.

"What about them?" Phoebe asked.

"The thing is… the Candy Kingdom wasn't the last place where I saw Cypher."

Finn retold the events of final days in the glass cell to Phoebe and she payed close attention as he did.

Phoebe could hardly believe what she was hearing from Finn. The fact that Seph was the brother of the man they was constantly trying to kill them was shocking, but it was more shocking about what happened between them when Finn was born.

Thinking about someone like Seph going as far as to try and kill him and Cypher trying to save him was hard to comprehend. She also found it cruel how Cypher used Jake to manipulate Finn.

"He could be lying," Phoebe said, refusing to believe Cypher's story.

"Victor confirmed it. Everything Cypher has said so far is the truth. And I have no doubt Jake is in trouble if we don't find him soon," Finn replied.

"But why-"

"Look," Finn interrupted, "I don't want any of this to interfere with tonight. Let's just… try and have some fun for once. It's been a whole year and yet the events that happened down in Ooo seem like just yesterday. We can deal with all of this tomorrow."

Finn's tone was agitated, but Phoebe knew he meant no disrespect with what he said. She simply shrugged it off and looked out the window once more, seeing Finn's reflection as he went back to playing with the fork.

* * *

Almost two hours passed and Finn and Phoebe were both full from their food. Finn's plate was left empty but Phoebe's still had a few scraps remaining on it, though she couldn't bring herself to finish it.

She pushed the plate so it was resting at the center of the table, prompting Finn to do the same. They both washed down the food with the drinks the waiter had brought them, which was just a simple glass of water for Finn after his refusal to drink anything with alcohol after his last experience. Phoebe, on the other hand, was testing out a glass of wine.

"You know, some of the less strong drinks like this one aren't that bad," she said. "You should at least try it."

"No thanks," Finn replied. "Maybe some other time when I'm not so full."

"Ugh, I know. I won't be able to eat anything else for days."

Finn chuckled before taking another sip of water. The two remained silent for a while as they looked out the window; Finn drinking water in the meantime.

"Phoebe," he began saying as he out the glass on the table, "What you told me earlier today, about you never getting back your powers if it meant staying with me… did you really mean it?"

"Of course I did," she replied.

"Okay, but… you gotta admit it would be crazy to step away if we were to find a way to bring them back. I for one wouldn't mind using flame shield every so often if you choose to-"

"Finn," she interrupted, "are you saying you only loved me because of my powers?"

"No! No, of course that's not the reason at all. I love you because you're awesome and a great person, as anyone would love someone else for. I just wanna make sure I don't get in the way of what you want."

Phoebe raised her hand and placed it on top of Finn's on the table.

"I may have lost my powers, but at least I didn't lose you. That was always my biggest fear while I was captured. And I'm not gonna let anything get in the way of that again, even my powers."

Finn smiled and the two of them began to lean in for a kiss. Phoebe had already closed her eyes, but Finn's were open long enough to notice a very faint flickering red line on the side of Phoebe's head. His eyes widened and he pulled Phoebe towards the ground as the bullet shattered the window and hit the floor instead.

Everyone was already in a panic before the Syndicate robots burst in through the windows, wielding their swords and their guns. As Finn held on to Phoebe, he kicked the table the sat on up and it acted as a temporary shield as a multitude of bullets flew towards them. Several people were hit as they ran through the path of the gunfire.

The table was shredded to pieces in matter of seconds; leaving only enough wood for Finn and Phoebe to remain hidden. They only stopped when the robots ran out of them and were left with their swords.

Finn reached behind his suit jacket and pulled out two sheathed dagger, both of them just as sharp as the swords they often used.

"Here!" he said as he handed one to Phoebe.

"Where did you get these?" she asked.

"I'll explain later."

Both of them were forced to move out of the way as a robot jumped over their remaining cover and its sword pierced the floor. Finn took it out quickly with the dagger by slicing its neck as it knelt.

There were now four robots left. The restaurant had already been cleared out from anyone lucky enough to not get shot. There was no time for Finn and Phoebe to react when the robots started running towards them with swords raised.

Finn moved out of the way of the first swing and tried hitting the robot with his dagger. The robot was able to dodge the swing, unfortunately, and it was able to push him away and pressed him against one of the tables.

The robot brought its sword down towards Finn's head but he was able to move out of the way, making the robot hit the table instead. Finn raised his dagger and prepared to stab the robot in the head, but his hand was grabbed by one of the other three robots and he was thrown on top of another table, making it break in half from the force.

Phoebe took a quick second from fighting off the other two robots to get a look at the commotion from Finn's side.

"Finn!" she shouted before blocking another hit.

One of the robots she fought grabbed her by the neck and lifted her feet off the ground. It was too far away for her to be able to hit it with her dagger, and her kicks to its leg did not even make it flinch.

Just when the robot raised its sword and prepared to stab her through the gut, Finn ran behind it and ran his dagger right across the neck, removing its head from the rest of its body and making it let go of Phoebe. She coughed as her vision cleared up and saw Finn struggling with the others.

One of the robots was able to slash Finn across his arm, giving him a bloodstained line across the sleeve of his suit. Another kicked him right in the chest and he was knocked back against the wall.

Phoebe got up from the ground and ran towards the third robot with her dagger before it could also land a hit on Finn. Despite her efforts to hit it, however, the robot was able to either block or dodge each attempt to hit it.

Finn blocked an attack from one of the robots and made its sword swerve towards the wall. With the sword still stuck, the robot moved it sideways in an attempt to hit Finn's head. The blade ran the wall and created a crack on it as Finn moved out of its way. As the robot failed to retrieve its blade, Finn impaled his dagger right through its chest.

Phoebe was having a harder time as she went up against two of them. She was kicked back and knocked against one of the tables. Finn ran in and tried to stab at least one of the robots in the back, but it was able to block its attack perfectly and kicked him back.

 _'These guys actually pose a threat while we don't have power armor,'_ Finn thought.

The robot heading towards Phoebe raised its sword and brought it down towards her. She quickly rolled out of the way before it hit and the table was cut it two and caused the robot to stagger from the force. Phoebe took the opportunity and tried to stab it, only for her arm to be grabbed by the robot's free hand.

It raised its sword back from the broken table and swung it towards Phoebe. She moved out of the way just in time to avoid being stabbed, but not in time to avoid being slashed across the side of her neck. The cut wasn't very deep but still stung and caused her to wince.

Just before the robot could swing its sword again, Finn was able to kick the other right in the chest and pushed him in the path of the sword. The sudden contact made the sword get stuck on the robot's torso, preventing the remaining robot from attacking further.

Phoebe took the opportunity to run straight at the robot and run her dagger straight through its head. Oil shot out from the wound and the robot fell while still holding on to his sword, dragging the other robot down with it towards the ground.

Finn and Phoebe both took heavy breaths as they finally ended the fight. Finn leaned against one of the tables and supported himself with his arm.

"I hate these guys," he said.

Phoebe raised her dagger to the level of her eyes and studied the small blade.

"You brought swords to our date?" she asked.

"First of all: They're daggers. Not swords. Even though they're just swords that were made shorter by Angie. Second of all: Aren't you glad I did?"

Phoebe sighed and lowered the dagger.

"You haven't changed at all, Finn." He seemed rather upset with her comment, until she walked towards him and hugged him tightly. "And I hope you never do."

Finn smiled and managed to wrap his free arm around Phoebe. Both of them closed their eyes and leaned in for a kiss, but Phoebe was confused when Finn's lips never reached hers.

She opened her eyes and saw Finn had hidden his head behind the table and the sound of him vomiting filled the room. Phoebe just waited patiently until he finished and breathed deeply as he leaned back on the table.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I got kicked pretty badly in the stomach."

Before Phoebe could respond to him, another one of the windows shattered as seemingly another robot barged into the room.

"Oh, come on," Phoebe said.

She and Finn raised their daggers as the newcomer landed on the ground.

It looked different from all the other robots. Rather than brown, its metal skin was completely black. Two round white lights were placed where the eyes would be and its head was fully round. Its sword was also longer than most other swords used by robots.

Using its incredible strength, the robot grabbed one of the tables and lunched it straight towards the two Sentinels. Before it could hit, Finn was able to slash it in half with his dagger. During his distraction, however, the robot was nearly able to run its sword straight through Finn's chest as it ran towards him with lighting fast speed.

Despite being able to evade it, the robot punched Finn across the face and sent him falling to the ground. Phoebe tried stabbing it with her dagger but her wrist was caught too quickly and she was thrown towards the ground as well. She raised her dagger as she thought the robot would try to stab her while on the ground, but it completely ignored her as it went after Finn instead.

Finn raised his dagger as the robot brought its sword down towards him. Sparks flew from each blade as the sword swerved to the side and impaled the ground. The robot instead resolved to punching Finn instead, leaving a cut on the side of his forehead.

One punch was all the robot was able to get in before it was forced to evade a slash from Phoebe as she got up from the ground. With enough force, Phoebe's dagger was unfortunately knocked out of her hand as the robot swung its sword at it and then kicked her away. Afterwards, Finn was nearly able to stab in the back before the robot grabbed his wrist.

 _'This one is more dangerous than the others,'_ Phoebe thought as she saw Finn nearly get stabbed again.

The robot swept Finn off the ground with his leg and made him fall down. It stepped on Finn's arm with enough force that it caused him to drop his dagger, leaving him defenseless as it prepared to impale its sword right through Finn's heart.

Weirdly enough, for a moment it seemed like the robot hesitated to do so.

Finn took the opportunity to kick the robot away, but not before it was able to scrape his leg with its sword in the process. Wincing, Finn was able to grab his dagger again and Phoebe stood next to him with hers, preparing to enter another fight.

Just in the nick of time before they could, several Vanguard soldiers barged into the restaurant through the front door and began to shoot at the robot with their weapons. Unfortunately, it was able to avoid getting hit once as it made its escape by jumping outside through one of the nearby windows.

Some of the soldiers went back outside to attempt to catch it. Other stayed behind to help Finn and Phoebe get up from the ground.

"Are you two alright?" one of them asked.

"Yeah… We're fine," Finn said.

"What about that thing?" Phoebe asked pointing towards the window the robot escaped through.

"Don't worry, ma'am. It won't get very far. For now let's get you two out of here."

Finn and Phoebe simply nodded and accepted the help. As the two of them were taken out of restaurant, Finn couldn't help but take one last look at the broken window.

 _'It hesitated to kill me,'_ he thought. _'But why?'_

* * *

Finn winced as Sasha ran the cotton through the cut on his forehead, which was currently filled with alcohol.

"Ah, don't be such a baby," she said.

"It stings," he said.

"It's not like you haven't been through worse," she replied. "And it can't be worse than the original hit you took here."

Finn scoffed and remained still as Sasha tended to the rest of his wounds.

"How come I couldn't get the actual nurse?" Finn asked, looking towards Phoebe as she was attended to by a hospital nurse.

"Because I will never trust Sasha around a wound, thank you very much," Phoebe said.

"Very cute," Sasha replied.

Finn was feeling extremely tired, mainly due to the fact that it was late and he and Phoebe had just gotten back from getting ambushed at Diamond District.

Both were currently sitting on individual beds on the Sentinel headquarters' medical area. The room was heavily guarded on the outside, mainly due to the fact Nora was with them, along with Christine, Victor, Erik, and the twins. Angie had been sent to the restaurant to check out the scene for any clues using the partially destroyed robots.

Finn had already explained the entire ordeal of the night to everyone, and needless to say, no one was very happy.

"This is the second time the Syndicate has been able to attack us in our own home without our knowledge," Nora said. "How can they do that?"

"We don't know," Victor replied. "We're hoping Angie can find something from the mess left behind."

"But why attack just Finn and Phoebe?" Christine asked. "Why not attack here again?"

"Cypher wants me dead, that much I know." Finn said. "Maybe he wanted to take me out while he had a good chance."

"Whatever the case, innocent lives were lost in this attack and the previous. I expect everyone Cypher to be brought to justice for this," Nora said.

"Easier said than done," Erik said. "But at least we have an actual lead. We've been cold this past year."

"True," Victor said. "Even though this might lead us to another pointless chase."

"Cypher tends to enjoy putting us through those," Alan said.

"And he's been doing a good job at getting us every time," Elaine added.

"He has, but this act will not go unpunished," Victor replied. "But it's been a long night. And Angie won't be able to come up with anything until the destroyed robots are brought to her lab. I suggest we all rest for now."

"Nothing would make me happier," Phoebe said. "I could lie on my bed for days."

"I hope you get a good rest," Nora said, "because if Cypher is indeed attacking again after a year, we'll need everyone ready. Especially you, Finn."

Finn raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yeah. You are the new Second-in-Command after all," Christine said.

"And it'll be your job to lead us when the time comes," Erik said. "Not trying to pressure you, just saying it like it is."

Finn winced again while Sasha tended to one of his wounds then sighed.

"I know," Finn replied. "Well, I guess we should get going then."

"That would be wise," Victor said.

Nora placed a hand on Christine's shoulder to get her attention.

"Let's go, Christine," Nora said. "The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner we can start preparations tomorrow."

"Preparations?" Phoebe asked.

"There will be a party in Diamond District in a few days," Christine said. "A few royal families will be getting together."

"We won't go into full detail right now but the queen and princess will be there, as will all of the Sentinels to make sure they remain safe," Victor explained.

"Okay. We'll be ready," Finn said.

Everyone left the room except Finn, Phoebe, Sasha, and the nurse attending to Phoebe. When they were finished and they were both patched up, they headed to their own rooms; eager to lie in bed for the remainder of the night.

Finn's room was still the same one he always slept in, despite now being Second-in-Command and offered a new and better room. He declined saying that he didn't mind the small room. In reality, however, he just wanted to continue sleeping next door to Phoebe.

Both stood in front of one another in the hall before entering.

"So…" Finn said as he rubbed the back of his head. "That wasn't exactly the best date ever."

"Meh. I've had worse," Phoebe replied.

"Really?"

"No. But I still had fun while it lasted."

Finn chuckled and cleared his throat.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," he said.

Saying their last goodbye for the night, Phoebe leaned up to give Finn a kiss, which he returned without hesitation.

After separating from the kiss, they each went to their corresponding bedrooms to sleep away the long night.

* * *

 **Note: Due to some personal issues, I haven't been able to sit down and write properly lately. So I apologize if the next chapters take a bit longer to upload. In the meantime, enjoy this 8,000 word chapter.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: Plenty is stored**

 **Fiery Crusader: I wouldn't say I was scared. I enjoy making people think.**

 **Ooobserver: I'm glad you enjoyed it that much.**


	27. Chapter 27: The Leader Unquestioned

**Chapter 27: The Leader Unquestioned**

Finn was woken up by knocking on his bedroom door. The fact that it was still 6:31 in the morning meant it was important. Or maybe Phoebe was actually up so early.

Despite the case, he got up from his bed and walked to the door, rubbing his remaining eye in the process. When he opened it, it turned out to be Erik, who looked just as tired as Finn was but was already wearing his armor.

"What is it?" Finn asked in a tone ruder than he meant, though Erik did not notice it.

"You're gonna wanna see this," Erik said as he pointed his thumb towards the hallway. "Angie found something."

Finn rubbed his eye even more so it was fully open.

"Okay. Tell her I'll be over in a sec," he said before closing the door.

Finn went inside the bathroom to freshen up. Afterwards he donned some appropriate clothing to go underneath his power armor.

It had been two days since the attack on Diamond District and to hear that Angie found something related to the Syndicate was enough to get him on his feet, and also ignore the fact that some of the wounds he obtained during the fight still hurt. He did not mind it, however, and he came out of his room to meet with Phoebe, who was also in the hallway wearing her armor.

"I hate being up this early," she said as she rubbed her right eye.

"If we put a stop to the Syndicate we can sleep in as much as we want," Finn replied. "Let's get going."

As they began walking, Phoebe was finishing rubbing her eyes so they remained open.

"Finn?" Phoebe said to get his attention. He looked at her while he kept walking. "I've been thinking about this for a while… If we do actually manage to beat the Syndicate-"

"Which we will."

"Right. Do you think we could ever go back home?"

Finn looked forward to make sure he did not bump into anything then looked back at Phoebe.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, do you think they'll let us quit being Sentinels once we're done?"

Finn opened his mouth to reply, only to find out he did not have an answer himself on the matter. He had been so focused on saving Jake, Olympia, and the fact that he found his mother that he never considered anything related to the future.

"I… don't really know," he said. "It could be possible, but… I just don't know."

"We'll deal with it when the time comes, then. As much as I like it here, I really miss being back in Ooo."

Finn nodded and kept his eye forward as they walked. Neither said another word until they reached Angie's lab, where her, Victor, and Erik were all waiting. The twins and Sasha were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the rest of the group?" Finn asked.

"They've been briefed ahead of time and are making preparations," Victor explained.

"Preparations for what?" Phoebe asked.

Angie responded simply by slamming a piece of paper on her desk.

"The entire time… right under our noses and even I didn't notice!" she shouted. "I HATE THEM!"

"What are you talking about?" Erik asked.

Angie blew a single strand of hair that was in front of her eye.

"I found out where the robots that attacked Finn and Phoebe came from," she said calmly.

"Where?" Finn asked.

Victor carefully pulled the piece of paper from Angie's grasp and moved it closer to the group's view. All of them leaned in, and the first to react was Erik.

"Is this for real?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Victor replied.

Erik stepped away from the table as everyone else kept looking at it and whispered to himself.

"You have got to be kidding me."

* * *

"Do you see anything weird?" Finn asked through the radio on his helmet.

" _Nothing yet,"_ Sasha replied. _"Everything has been normal for the entire morning. Maybe we should just head in right now."_

"We don't know how many there are inside and we're not sure if they might anticipate us. Just sit tight," Finn replied.

" _Okay. You're the boss,"_ Sasha said before ending the conversation.

Finn took a deep breath and exhaled.

' _I am the boss,'_ he thought to himself in encouragement.

Ruby District sent an unnerving feeling through Finn's mind. If it wasn't for the fact that the rooftop he stood on was over a hundred feet above the ground, it was the fact that he was standing in Mike's home district.

The buildings were not exactly exotic like the ones in Diamond District, but they were only a few steps down from the ones in Sapphire District. The entire place seemed more industrial than anything else with all of the factories and numerous trucks that outnumbered the small cars. And just across the building where Finn and Phoebe stood on was another one, which supposedly served as the base for the Syndicate inside Olympia.

The target building was a few floors lower than the one Finn stood on, allowing him to get a clear view of the roof. The windows were mostly tainted, but he could see the outline of some people walking by every so often. Some workers could also be seen going up and down the outer glass elevators to different floors.

Even though they looked from simple ants from such a long distance, Finn could tell Phoebe, Erik, and Sasha were all standing on the sidewalk opposite of the building. All of them were wearing clothing over their armor to draw little suspicion from anyone watching. Alan and Elaine were not visible at the moment, but Finn knew they were in the same state on the back of the building.

One of the smaller trucks on the street pulled into the garage door right next to the building's main entrance and dropped off several human workers before making its way inside.

" _Finn, are you sure Angie got the right place?"_ Phoebe asked.

" _Yeah,"_ Sasha said. _"This looks like a normal industrial building to me. And I haven't seen anything suspicious all morning."_

"Well, if Angie said they were coming from here, then we gotta assume that they were," Finn replied.

" _I've lived in this district nearly all my life."_ Erik said. _"This building has always been the same. Is it possible Angie was wrong?"_

"Has she ever been wrong before?" Finn asked.

There was nothing but total silence through the radio for a few seconds.

" _Now that I think about it, no,"_ Erik replied. _"But hey, there's always a first for anyone. Even Angie."_

"Let's just keep watching for now," Finn replied. "Alan, Elaine, how are you both doing?"

" _Nothing on the back of the building. Doors haven't been used,"_ Elaine said.

Finn sighed and looked around at the upper floors of the building. Nothing had changed so far that he could tell. Maybe Angie was wrong after all.

"I'm gonna head inside-"

" _Wait,"_ Phoebe said before Finn could finish. _"The door is opening again."_

Finn looked down and saw that Phoebe was right. The garage door in the front of the building opened and the same truck that went in before drove out. Only this time it was seemingly being escorted by two black cars driving in front and behind it.

The cars must have been armored because the one leading the truck smashed through one of the civilian vehicles blocking the road in front of it, clearing the way for the truck to pass and began driving down the road faster than normal.

" _I think it's safe to say that was suspicious,"_ Sasha said.

"No doubt," Finn replied. "All of you go after that truck! I'm going inside the building."

The Sentinels on the street all followed Finn's orders without question and began to run after the truck. Even with the speed from their armor, they were still too slow to catch up to it on foot. Luckily, it was slowed down when the car in front of it was forced to crash another vehicle out of its way to pass. The collision caused other vehicles to crash as well as their tires screeched when they braked.

From the side of the building came a gray pick-up truck, being driven by Alan and Elaine sitting on the passenger seat. She stuck her head out the window so the others could hear her better.

"Climb on!" she shouted.

Phoebe, Erik, and Sasha all jumped on the back of the vehicle and Alan hit the gas, making Erik topple over and nearly fall if Sasha had not grabbed him in time.

Once everyone was out of sight, Finn leaned towards the edge of the roof, getting rather dizzy at how high he currently was. He quickly stepped away from the ledge and began to walk backwards towards the opposite end of the roof, while also putting on his helmet.

"Okay, no big deal," he said to himself. "I'm just jumping from the top of a super tall building to another with a high chance of plummeting to my death. I got this… I hope."

When Finn's foot touched the edge of the roof, he leaned his upper body forward and placed his hands against the floor. He bent his other leg forward and placed the foot firmly on the ground. Closing his eyes, he inhaled and exhaled deeply; then he began running as fast as he could across the roof.

Due to the speed in which he was running, Finn jumped a great distance when he reached the edge of the rooftop. Unfortunately, he was still not fast enough to be able to make it across the entire way and land on the roof of the target building, and he missed grabbing the ledge by a few feet before he began falling down.

' _Oh, come on!'_ Finn thought as he fell.

He quickly extended his arm and aimed it at the rooftop's ledge. The grappling hook shot upwards faster than Finn fell and attached to the hard surface. This allowed him to swing inward and smash into the building through the one of the windows, hitting his entire body against the wall of the hallway on his way in and landing hard against the floor.

Finn could only groan as he struggled to lift himself. It all happened very fast, but Finn was certain he landed at least ten floors below the roof. His back cracked and he was able to stand up straight. Luckily, no one was currently in the hall to notice him.

"Glob, that hurt," he put his hand against the side of his head to use the radio. "Phoebe, how are you guys doing with the truck?"

* * *

Phoebe barely missed getting shot in the arm as she ducked in the back of the pick-up. The on the car right behind the truck were sticking out from the windows and shooting at them with their guns. The only way Alan and Elaine were able to avoid getting shot was by driving on the other side of the road and letting the concrete beams of the tunnel they currently drove under block most of the bullets.

"These guys are putting up a fight!" Phoebe answered Finn's question through her radio. "But these are just humans, not Syndicate robots. We could just be chasing normal criminals."

"Do you think more humans have joined the Syndicate?" Erik asked right before he was forced to duck.

" _I managed to get inside the building, so I'll let you know"_ Finn replied. " _In the meantime, keep chasing that truck."_

"Easier said than-" Sasha couldn't finish before a bullet hit the metal surface right in front of her. "Geez! Are there no guns in this truck that we can use, Alan?!"

"We stole it and immediately began driving! So we didn't exactly have time to look!" Alan replied while continuing to drive.

Everyone screamed and held on tight as Alan steered the pick-up out of the way of an approaching car, forcing them all to fall down while hanging on to the sides of the truck.

* * *

Finn walked slowly through the halls of the building, peeking his head around corners to make sure there was no one around. And to his confusion, there was not a single person around despite the large size of the structure. There were plenty of rooms where anyone could hide in the hall but Finn made no attempt to open any of them.

He gripped his sword tightly in his hand, ready to swing away at anyone or anything that might try to catch him off guard. Every time Finn's feet touched the ground, they echoed; and the noise irritated him since it prevented him from sneaking properly. The repeating flickering lights on the ceiling also made it disorienting to walk. Nevertheless, there was still no one in sight as Finn kept moving.

The hallway ended with the choice of either going left or right. There was no actual set path; Finn's goal was to explore the lower levels of the building, but the lack of any stairs or elevators made it hard to do so.

Finn quickly turned his head when the sound of a door opening behind him hit his ears. The man that walked out was whistling a tune as he looked at some papers, but stopped as soon as he saw the sword wielding Sentinel right in front of him.

"Hey, who are you?! You can't-"

The man fell to the ground unconscious before he could even finish when Finn punched him straight in the face. The papers he held in his hand fell and scattered all along the floor.

"Sorry," Finn said as he knelt to pick up the papers.

There was nothing that seemed of use among the documents. All except for one particular piece of paper that had what seemed to be a drawing of Gex.

The robot in the drawing looked exactly like the one Finn had faced before, only this one was smaller according to the written size of eight feet. Each of its hands were replaced and it carried what seemed like cannons rather than swords. At least, what Finn thought were cannons.

Another detail that caught his attention was a small hole located in the center of the robot's chest. Nothing was drawn being inside of it, but it appeared to be the outlet for what would power the machine once it was completed; if it was not already.

"What are you building now, Cypher?" Finn wondered to himself.

Suddenly, the arm of the man Finn thought he had knocked out was raised and was wrapped around his neck. Finn tried to grab the fingers and remove them, but they were stronger than any normal fingers. While he managed to remove one, he was thrown back down the hall and landed against the hard wall and back on the ground.

Finn quickly recovered and stood up with his sword raised. The man had fully stood from the ground and kept his gaze locked with Finn, never blinking them once; and the way he stood made it look like some sort of foot soldier.

"Wha…" Finn mumbled.

With speed a lot quicker than Finn expected, the man ran forward and used his shoulder to smash Finn against the wall. His disoriented state barely allowed him to move out of the way of a kick to the head so strong that the leg went straight through the wall. While the man's leg remained stuck, Finn took the opportunity to slice right through his neck.

Finn expected blood to pour out from the wound, but instead he was met by the same oily liquid that poured out of the Syndicate robots he had fought before. A small amount of it landed on Finn before he stood back and watched as the screeching automaton fell dead on the ground.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Finn said to himself.

Not seconds later, multiple fast footsteps were heard approaching from the splitting end of the hall. From both sides came more humans, which Finn thought they were no doubt robots, carrying weapons in their hands. They stood in line at the end of the hall and pointed their weapons at Finn.

Right before they opened fire, Finn smashed through one of the doors in the hall and took refuge inside what appeared to be a small office as the endless waves of bullets decimated the wooden door.

Finn used his radio to call his friends while staying hidden.

"Guys, we've got a huge problem!"

* * *

Once the pick-up got close enough, Erik was able to reach out and grab the gun off the hand of the enemy car's backseat passenger. He nearly fell over the side of the truck if Sasha had not grabbed him and pulled him back in.

It was only because they were going through a highly populated street that Erik did not use the newly acquired weapon against the convoy as they continued ramming other vehicles out of the road. But the remainder of enemies that still held weapons did not hesitate to shoot no matter what was in the way between them and the Sentinels.

"A lot of people are going to die if we don't stop these guys soon!" Sasha said.

"I can't get a clear shot at the wheels!" Erik replied.

Right before Phoebe could say anything, Finn's voice was heard through everyone's radio, along with the sound of gunfire.

" _Guys, we've got a huge problem!"_

"What is it?" Phoebe asked.

" _These guys aren't human at all. They're robots wearing disguises!"_

"Are you alright?" Phoebe asked in concern. "It sounds like you're in a lot of trouble."

" _I'm fine,"_ Finn grunted as the sound of a bullet hitting a surface very close to him came through the radio. _"You just worry about yourselves for now!"_

"Oh that's just great," Sasha said. "You're telling me these guys can make themselves look human now?"

"Look on the bright side," Erik said as he aimed the gun towards the tailing vehicle of the convoy, "at least now I don't have to feel bad about doing this."

With great accuracy, Erik waited until the right moment to shoot and was able to hit the driver. The oil that shot out of the wound tainted the glass and the car was sent steering out of control until crashing front-first into a lamp post on the sidewalk; and fortunately no civilians were harmed.

"Nice," Phoebe complemented.

Not much time passed before the group was being shot at again by the other enemy vehicle that was leading the truck. They changed their course so they were driving right in front of the pick-up and began shooting at the front glass. Without thinking twice, Alan grabbed Elaine with one hand and pulled her down while driving with the other.

Erik was able to take out the gunner by shooting at him, but that did not stop the vehicle from backing up further and ramming them. The hit threw Erik forward and he dropped the gun in order to hang on to the pick-up. As the vehicle picked up speed and prepared to ram them again, Elaine pulled out her sword and threw it forward through the broken glass, managing to hit one of the back wheels and forcing it to lose control.

Unlike the first vehicle, this one ended up turning completely upside down and landed against the street with the roof. Alan steered out of the way and drove past the wrecked vehicle towards the truck, which had managed to gain some distance from them.

"Your sword…" Alan said as he looked at Elaine.

"Angie can give me a new one," she replied while keeping her eyes forward. "Just keep driving."

Alan nodded and increased the pick-up's speed. He was forced to make a sharp turn to the left as the truck steered towards an alleyway barely big enough for it to fit through. Nevertheless, Alan followed them through without a second thought.

There were no people in between them and the truck. Just straight shot forward as they came just feet from being able to catch it once and for all.

"Haha! We've got them now-" Erik's cheering was interrupted when the back doors of the truck burst open, revealing that the only thing they were ever carrying was a robot with a rocket launcher. "Oh sh-"

The robot launched the missile and it hit the ground right in front of the pick-up, forcing the vehicle to be launched up from the blast. The three Sentinels that were riding on the back were launched forward and landed against the hard ground, while the twins remained trapped inside as the pick-up landed upside down on the gravel.

The only thing Phoebe could see as she began standing back up was the truck getting away as it drove out of the alley. Erik and Sasha were both groaning as they got up beside her, but there was no sign of Alan and Elaine.

"Where are the twins?" Phoebe asked.

All of them looked back at the flipped over pick-up, which was currently covered in smoke from the blast.

"Guys?!" Erik shouted as he ran back towards the truck.

Right before Erik could reach the pick-up, a long chain smashing against the ground in front of him stopped him in his tracks. The chain retracted and ended up wrapped around Thomas' arm, who was watching them from a fires escape above.

"Lovely to see you all again," he said before jumping down and landing on top of the pick-up. "It's been too long."

As the Sentinels all pulled out their swords, another strange figure suddenly flew over them. The metal wings on her back retracted and she landed perfectly next to Thomas on the pick-up.

"Lovely indeed," Angel said.

"What are you two doing here?!" Sasha asked.

"Getting rid of several pests who've been lurking where they don't belong," Sasha replied.

"Heh, good luck with that," Phoebe said.

"Yeah," Erik added. "There's three of us against two of you. We won't let you take us out as easily as last time."

"You misunderstand the situation," Thomas said as he and Angel stepped off the pick-up and readied their weapons. "It's all of you that are outmatched here."

* * *

Finn barely missed getting hit in the head as a disguised robot attempted to elbow him against the wall. He cut off its arm as the elbow got stuck and kicked it towards the ground, slowing down the rest of the group chasing him and buying him time to get further away.

Even though their weapons had run out of ammo, the robots were still very much a threat in numbers. Especially in close quarters such as the hall Finn currently ran through. One of them grabbed a hanging frame from the wall and threw it at Finn, only for him to cut through it with his sword before it got too close.

It was clear at the moment that every single robot in the building knew where he was; and every single one wanted him dead no matter what. But despite everything that was going wrong, Finn knew he could not leave until he put a stop to whatever they were doing inside the building. So he continued with his goal of finding a way down.

Finn made sure to knock down anything he could as he ran to slow down his pursuers. Fighting them was not much of an option in such narrow corridors, so he resolved to just running away as fast as possible and hopefully lose them further on.

More robots appeared from the right at the end of the hall, so he made a sharp turn to the left and could finally see an elevator at the very end. Even more fortunate was that the elevator doors were opened when two robots stepped out of it in an attempt to cut him off.

He threw his sword sideways and the spinning blade cut through both of their necks cleanly and impaling itself against the wall next to the elevator. While running, he grabbed the blade from the wall and stepped inside the elevator just as the doors closed, allowing him to see just a small glimpse of the robots who were to slow to catch up in time.

After pressing a button to take him to the lowest possible floor, Finn took the small chance of safety to remove his helmet and catch his breath. The elevator was made mostly of glass, allowing for a decent view of the streets below as it went lower. Finn also swung his sword at the empty air to shake away the oil drenched over the blade, staining the glass in the process.

"Let's see if I can find something worthwhile in here," he said to himself. "I just hope the others are doing alright right now."

Unfortunately, it would not be as easy as Finn thought to just ride the elevator straight down. In the corner of his eye he saw another elevator heading up on the left side of his own. The other elevator carried the same mysterious robot that attacked Finn and Phoebe in the restaurant a few days prior. Only this time, it was carrying what appeared to be a rocket launcher in its hand.

Finn silently cursed and quickly put his helmet back on. He braced himself as the missile went straight through the glass of the rising elevator and blew up right underneath Finn's. The blast caused the glass to break entirely and the elevator was freed from the wall, hanging only by two cables.

The armor had protected Finn, but hit caused him to nearly fall out after hitting his head against the roof. He would have fallen off if he had not grabbed on to the edge of the floor, leaving him hanging as the elevator swung outwards still too high above the street for Finn to jump off.

Everything around Finn moved from back to front as the elevator swung in midair by the cables. The streams of fire from the burning section of the building rained down and scrapped Finn by his arm, though it did not hurt on account of his armor. He was short on time to think when one of the cables holding the elevator up snapped and the entire thing jolted on its side.

Before he was able to reorient himself, Finn was able to catch a glimpse of the elevator that carried the other robot, which had stopped one floor above where he currently hung. He could also see that the remaining cable was just about to snap as well as the fire spread along it.

"Here we go!" he shouted.

When the elevator swung towards the building one last time, Finn let go of it and was sent smashing through the building's window just as the cable snapped, letting the elevator fall down completely and land miraculously without hitting anyone below.

Finn lied down on the ground for a moment to catch his breath. He would have laughed that he was able to survive such an experience, only he knew it was far from over if the robot was around and was in danger of being ambushed by it at any given moment.

Due to Finn's apparent massive amount of bad luck, the robot's blade pierced the roof above him and cut a circular shape on it. He was barely able to roll out of the way in time before the piece fell and landed where he would have been lying. As he readied his sword, the robot jumped from the newly formed hole on the ceiling.

"Back for more, are you?" Finn asked.

The robot simply looked at him without making any moves. Finn took no chances and took up a fighting position.

"Well? Are you gonna fight me?!"

The robot remained motionless for several more seconds before it too raised its sword and prepared to fight. With its feet firmly placed on the ground, it charged Finn with full speed.

* * *

Phoebe dodged Angel's attempt at stabbing her in the shoulder by mere inches when she flew towards her. Despite the small amount of space in the alley, Phoebe hated that Angel could still get so much maneuverability to catch her and Erik off guard.

Sasha was busy dealing with Thomas, who had initially managed to wrap one of his chains around her and threw her on top of the scaffolding. Thomas had jumped after her and the two were currently fighting on the different levels as Sasha failed to hit him while dodging every single one of his attacks.

Angel boosted herself up and then began to drop back down. She lifted her arms back and threw both of her sais at Phoebe, hitting her sword and causing it to fall off her hand. The sword nearly hit Erik and he was forced to jump out of its way, giving Angel the opening to fly in and kick him against the wall next to the wrecked pick-up during his brief moment of distraction.

The wings on Angel's back folded back into place and she turned to Phoebe, with a smirk across her face. Having no sword, Phoebe raised both of her fists, which only made Angel laugh.

"You really think you can take me hand-to-hand, darling? You can barely fight with a sword."

Phoebe ignored her and took a fighting stance.

"I don't need a sword to fight," she said. "I've learned plenty about fighting. And besides, you don't have any weapons either."

"Not exactly."

Angel then laughed as she outstretched her hands' fingers and sharp metal nails protruded from the tips of her gloves. Phoebe took a few steps back but was stopped by the wall behind her.

"Let's dance," Angel said as she charged forward.

Erik was just getting up from his spot on the ground when the sound of metal clanging hit his ears. He turned to the sound and watched as Phoebe continuously moved out of the way of Angel's slashes as they hit the walls instead. During one of her dodges, Phoebe was able to land a hit on Angel by kneeing her in the stomach, but quickly recovered from the hit.

Sasha was having not much more luck taking on Thomas. Despite his weapons being chains, they were made of the same material as her sword, making it impossible to cut through. She currently stood on the scaffolding above Thomas', but that did not stop him from continuously swinging his chins upwards and managing to actually cut through some of Sasha's armor in the process.

Just when Erik was about to jump in to help the two girls in trouble, a hand wrapped around his leg caught his attention, and he saw that it was Alan from inside the pick-up. Erik could not see her as well, but he guessed Elaine was okay as well.

"Get… this door… open," Alan said weakly.

Angel actually managed to slash her nails through Phoebe's head, though she was luckily wearing her helmet to keep her protected from most of the harm. She had to take it off, however, when the slashes made it impossible for her to see out of it.

She rolled out of the way of another hit, and this time Angel's nails became stuck to the ground. Phoebe took the opportunity to run forward and punched her across the face, sending her falling backwards as her nails became unstuck from the force of the hit. She landed right below the scaffolding where Sasha and Thomas still fought one another.

During one of Thomas' swings, his chain cut through scaffolding's supports. The platform only wobble on one side, but it was enough to make Sasha lose her balance and fall over the railing. She landed on her feet right next to Angel, who was still getting up from the previous hit from Phoebe.

Thomas jumped off the scaffolding and tried to land on top of Sasha, but she managed to roll out of the way towards Phoebe before he did. Rather than attack them, Thomas helped Angel get back up to her feet. Afterwards, he turned to the Sentinels as Phoebe regained her sword from the ground.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" he asked.

"A lot more than what you seem able to," Phoebe replied.

Angel chuckled as she managed to stand straight and regain her senses.

"You've gotten a few lucky hits in, I'll give you that. But we're not backing down just yet."

Phoebe and Sasha readied their swords as Angel and Thomas walked forward. Thomas swung one of his chains horizontally, forcing the two Sentinels to duck as it broke through the wall behind them.

Angel jumped over the retracting chain and managed to kick Sasha back towards the wall. She was able to block Angel's swing of her metal claws with her sword before Phoebe tried to swing back. During the swing, however, her blade was caught in one of Thomas' chains and was pulled forward towards Angel as she kicked her in the chest.

Despite the hit knocking the wind out of her, Phoebe was able to hold Angel's claws back as they came within mere inches of her eyes. She could not see Sasha very well, but Phoebe knew from the sounds of clashing metal she was busy handling Thomas.

Angel's claws got aver closer to Phoebe's eyes with every passing second as she was unable to push them back. Meanwhile, Angel smiled devilishly at her.

"Enjoy the last face your ever gonna see again," she said as she pushed her claws further.

Just before Phoebe's grip gave away, Sasha kicked Angel on her thigh and forced her off. The time she took to help Phoebe made her lose track of Thomas, and he was able to get in close and jab the tip of one of his chains right into Sasha's shoulder. As she screamed, Phoebe grabbed her sword and quickly ran over to her. She used the blade knock the tip out of her shoulder and making Thomas trip backwards when the chain retracted.

While his guard was down, Phoebe took the chance and ran her sword right through Thomas' chest and pinning him against the wall behind him.

"No!" Angel shouted as she ran over.

She stopped when she was nearly hit with a sword. Erik, the wielder, managed to hit her with his elbow afterwards and pushed her back against the opposite wall. Though infuriated, Angel could not step forward when Alan and Elaine both stood beside Erik and Sasha, bearing several cuts from the crash.

"Just try and fight us now," Elaine said as she pointed her sword forward.

Angel looked behind the group at Thomas, who was struggling for life as he held on to Phoebe's blade. She gritted her teeth and extended the wings on her back.

"You're all gonna regret this!" she shouted before taking off and flying away.

As the group watched her soar away out of sight, Phoebe kept looking at Thomas as he unevenly breathed through the bloody wound on his chest. She could not tell through his helmet, but Phoebe imagined he was shooting an angry glare at her.

"You haven't won anything here today," he said. "My death will stop nothing. In the end, this city will burn. And you… along with it…"

With one final breath, Thomas became limp and his hands fell off of Phoebe's sword.

Despite having just taken out another member of the Syndicate, Phoebe's hands began to shake, her breathing became ecstatic, and she slowly backed away from the sword. Thomas' body remained hanging from the wall afterwards, and she could see the strands of blood pouring down his torso and landing on the ground.

Seeing his body like this only brought back bad memories of when she was forced to kill soldiers from her own kingdom. It had happened over a year ago, but she could remember every single time her sword pierced their armor and they became lifeless.

She was snapped out of her trance when Elaine tapped her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Phoebe stuttered.

"At least we got this bastard," Erik said while pointing at Thomas' body.

"It serves him right," Sasha replied as she kept holding her wound.

Phoebe simply nodded and retrieved her sword, letting Thomas' body slide down the wall and fall on the ground. She shivered at the sight and turned away quickly without bothering to clean his blood off the sword.

"So what now?" Sasha asked. "I don't suppose we can somehow catch Angel before she gets away."

"True," Erik replied. "Why would they go through all this trouble though?"

"It was a diversion," Alan said.

"Yeah. Cypher wanted to divide us and take us on separately," Elaine explained.

"But where is he? Why not show up himself?" Sasha asked. "I'm sure they could've taken all of us on if…"

Sasha trailed away as she realized what everyone else was thinking. And Phoebe was the first to point it out as she gasped.

"Finn!"

* * *

Finn's vision became blurry as the robot kicked him across the head. The hit was not enough to knock him down, but the follow-up kick on the back did. He grunted as he landed on the ground, making sure he did not lose grip on his sword.

Before the robot's blade landed where his head would have been, Finn rolled out of the way and then swept it off of its feet. When the robot fell, Finn raised his sword in the air and prepared to stab it straight through the torso. Unfortunately, it rolled out of the way before he could.

Finn's sword got stuck on the ground, giving the robot the opportunity to try and slash him across the torso. While the cut was not deep, Finn was not able to roll away in time before it managed to pierce its armor. To make matters worse, his sword was still stuck on the ground, leaving him completely defenseless as the robot took slow steps towards him.

"You really are more of a piece of work than the others," Finn said. "But that still doesn't mean I won't beat you!"

The robot did not make any moves towards Finn. Instead, it stood straight and sheathed its sword back in the quiver. Finn only watched in confusion, but not without dropping his guard.

"Still the same rough attitude, I see," the robot said in a distorted voice.

Finn raised his eyebrow.

"What? Who… what are you?"

The robot said no other word. It simply raised both of its hands and removed what turned out to be a helmet over the head of a living being. The helmet hissed as it came off, and the face of the person underneath appeared.

Finn's eye opened as much as it could and his mouth remained agape. As much as he wanted to deny it, what he saw defied everything that made any kind of sense to him. But it stood in front of him nonetheless.

"Mike?!"

* * *

 **Fiery Crusader: I'd love to see you analyze this one. XD**

 **CoolDudeAgent: There's plenty we'll see soon.**

 **Ooobserver: Meh, I suppose it was fine. Also, thanks for wishing me luck.**


	28. Chapter 28: Eyes of the Dead

**Chapter 28: Eyes of the Dead**

Finn was completely frozen in place. The fact that Mike was somehow still alive and standing right in front of him was a lot for him to process at once. Even worse was that it seemed like Mike was now working alongside the Syndicate; making him another traitor.

Almost everything about Mike seemed exactly the same from the last time Finn saw him. Same eyes, same hair, same skin. The only major difference was that his entire lower jaw had been replace by the same metal covering his armor and his entire beard had been shaved to do so.

As he stuttered to speak, Finn began to step forward.

"H-how? I thought…"

"That I died? I wouldn't blame you," Mike said.

"You were stabbed from behind by Cypher at the battle in Candy Kingdom. I saw it with my own eyes. You were just another corpse afterwards."

"For a time, I was."

Finn opened his mouth to speak again but stopped before uttering a single word. The thought that reached his mind that this could have all been a trick by Cypher. After all, it was clear the Syndicate had mastered the ability to make robots seem like humans; and making Finn believe thinks Mike still lived was not out of their line of thought.

Taking this knowledge into account, Finn grinded his teeth and raised his fists again.

"How do I know you're even the real Mike? This is all just a trick. And you're just another one of his minions sent to kill me!"

Mike simply looked at Finn blankly.

"I can assure you, Finn, that I'm the real Mike."

"If you really are, which I still doubt, how do I know you're not just being controlled by Cypher? I've seen plenty of what the Syndicate can do to not rule out any possibility."

Mike simply chuckled at Finn's statement while looking at the floor. Despite chuckling, however, Mike never had a smile on his face.

"I wish Cypher's methods were that simple. Unfortunately, they're not. He's always been a trickster; using anything it took to get the best of you. And it was no exception when I woke up to find him standing above me. That cynical smile on his face…"

 _(One year earlier, after the battle of Candy Kingdom)_

Mike took a deep breath of air into his lungs as a large shock ran through his entire body. He tried to move his arms and legs up but was stopped by the large spike of pain running through his whole body, causing him to scream. It also did not help that his arms and legs were both tied down to the table where he currently lied on.

A blinding light hung above his head, making him squint from the brightness. There was movement on the far side of the room, though he could not make out what it was or who. The only indication of them getting closer was the sound of approaching footsteps.

The light was dimmed down a bit, and Mike was able to slowly open his eyes properly. While his vision was still blurry, he could make out the outline of a man standing above him, wearing a white coat and a mask over his mouth.

"He's finally awake, sir," the man said to someone out of Mike's view.

Mike recognized the voice and grunted as he tried again to sit up.

"Terrance?" he asked weakly.

Terrance gave a quick glance at Mike before stepping away, allowing for Cypher to step up and look down at Mike. His vision had become fully clear, allowing him to see the unmasked man as he smiled down at him.

"Welcome back, Mike," Cypher said. "Sorry about stabbing you. No hard feelings?"

Mike's arms jolted as he tried to grab Cypher, but he was held back by his straps and the pain he still felt throughout his entire body.

"Where am I?" Mike asked.

"That's not important," Cypher replied. "What is important is that you're safe and sound. At least for now, that is."

"Where is Finn? Where are my friends?!"

Cypher sighed and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Still alive, unfortunately. But it won't be that way for very long since an entire army is currently searching the city of candy for them. We're not here to dwell on those matters, however. We're here to talk business."

"I don't have anything to talk to you about, Cypher. So if you better kill me right now if you think I'm gonna be helping you."

"You'll come through eventually. For now we gotta get you fixed up. Losing a few cells after a while of being dead tends to make someone useless. But we're gonna fix that, aren't we, Terrance?"

"Oh, yes we will," Terrance replied.

Cypher tapped Mike on the cheek several times, making him agitated.

"I'll come by to visit every so often so you won't feel lonely. Until then, I think Terrance can make you feel right at home."

Cypher tapped Mike's chest a few times before turning around and walking away. Mike could not turn his head completely, but he guessed Cypher had left the room, leaving him alone with Terrance. The chuckling scientist walked up to the table, holding a scalpel in his hand and showing his teeth as he smiled.

"You might feel a bit of a pinch," Terrance said. "If we're lucky, you might actually feel a lot of pain. Less limbs we'll have to replace if they still function correctly even after all this time. Anesthetics are quite scarce around here, I'm afraid. But a big guy like you can take it, can you?"

Terrance chuckled some more as he directed the scalpel towards Mike's torso. Despite his constant struggle to escape from his bindings, he was too late to stop the blade from piercing his flesh, making him scream as loud as his burning throat would allow him.

* * *

Over the course of the next months, Mike was forced day after day to watch in full consciousness as each of his limbs were replaced with metal parts. There were times where he wished for the pain to just end; that rather than experiment on him, Cypher would just drive a blade through him again and let the sweet embrace of death take hold of him once more. Sadly, such a day never came. And each day felt like an eternity to Mike no matter how hard he tried to fight back.

Every night was the only time of peace Mike ever got as Terrance went to do other things. Despite still feeling pain from the tests made on him during the day, he was still able to enjoy the few hours of silence during the hours of the night as he slept.

The more Terrance worked on Mike, the less human he felt. After his limbs were removed, Terrance began to work on his torso. Rather than remove anything, however, the torso piece was fused with his skin. And the process of doing so involved some _very_ hot metal and a lot of screws to keep the entire piece intact. After that, only his head remained.

In what felt like a brief moment of sweet relief, Terrance had actually put Mike to sleep while he installed the metal jaw that replaced his own. When he woke up, a wave of relief went through what was left of him that was human as he found out Terrance had completed the procedure. Unfortunately, the fact that he had meant bad news for Mike as well.

On the final day of the procedure, Terrance wiped away the sweat from his brow and chuckled.

"It was a long few months, but I guarantee you'll find your new body to be very useful."

Mike simply stared Terrance down without saying a word. Mike was left alone for a few minutes after Terrance left. Despite having a new body, he was still unable to break out of the straps that held him in place on top of the bed he had been lying on for months on end.

When Terrance came back into the room, it was in the company of Cypher. The masked man walked over to Mike and studied him for some time.

"So it's finally finished?" he asked Terrance without taking his eyes off Mike.

"It is," Terrance replied. "He's more machine than human now."

Cypher chuckled.

"Good. How do feel, Mike?"

"Like smashing your head against a saw," Mike replied.

"Nice. That's exactly the kind of attitude I'm looking for. You and I could get along very well." Rather than replying, Mike spat up at Cypher, and it landed on his armor's shoulder path. Cypher looked at the stain for a second but only shrugged it off. "I take it my offer to join me hasn't caught your attention yet."

"You might as well just kill me again. No matter how much you torture me; mutilate me; cut me; I'll never help you for as long as I live!"

Cypher remained quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time, staring down at Mike with a blank expression on his face. He tapped his fingers several times on the table and sighed.

"Very well," he said. "I tired doing this nicely. Terrance, bring him in."

"Yes, sir," Terrance replied before leaving the room.

"You know, Mike? You have heart. I've always admired that about you. You've always been like that annoying big brother that make's his sibling's life impossible, but deep down cares about them. You care about a lot of people. Don't you, Mike? People who you would risk your own life to save." Mike remained quiet when Cypher paused. "Even now, I can admire your strength. But the tough guy attitude isn't gonna cut it for you. Not this time. Because I know your one weakness."

Terrance came back into the room, with two robots carrying a cage with a black tarp over it fallowing behind. They set the cage down on the floor when Mike had a clear view of it from his current position on the table.

"What is that?" Mike asked.

"Oh, I like to call it," Cypher grabbed the tarp, "insurance."

He lifted the tarp off of the cage, and what was inside sent a wave of terror through Mike. It was his son, Ethan.

"Ethan!" Mike shouted.

"Dad!" Ethan responded from the cage, fear noticeable in his eyes.

Mike tried once more to break free of his bindings but it was no use.

"Let him go!" Mike shouted at Cypher.

"Easy, Mike," Cypher replied. "There's no need to shout."

Cypher turned towards the two robots next to the cage and nodded at them. One of them removed the latch keeping the cage closed and opened it, allowing Ethan to walk out.

When the boy was only inches from reaching his father, Cypher tugged him roughly by the arm and pointed his crimson sword at his throat.

"NO!" Mike shouted.

Ethan began to cry as Cypher drew the blade closer to his neck.

"I want you to take a good hard look at your son, Mike!" Cypher said. "Because if you ever think about talking back to me with an attitude ever again, I'll spray his guts all over the floor! Just like I did with his aunt!"

"Please…" Mike said, speaking a bit lower. "Don't kill him…"

"Or better yet," Cypher raised Ethan's arm and brought the blade to his shoulder, "how about I cut off some of his limbs as a warning? Hmm? Will that teach you to behave?!"

"I'm sorry! I'll… I'll do whatever you ask."

Cypher's expression softened and he lowered Ethan's arm.

"See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" He handed Ethan over to one of the robots and walked closer to Mike. "Understand this, Mike. You will follow my orders to the letter. You betray me, or just do something I don't like in general, and I won't just kill you; I won't hesitate to kill your son either. Am I understood?"

"I… understand."

"You understand…?"

"I understand… sir."

"Good," Cypher turned to face the robots. "Take him away."

The robots placed Ethan back inside the cage. The boy called out to his father before his face was covered by the tarp once more and the cage was carried out of the room. Cypher then turned to Terrance, who had been standing at the corner of the room enjoying the scenario.

"Sedate him and transport him to our hideout in Olympia," Cypher ordered. "And make sure to keep a close eye on the boy."

"Will do, Cypher," Terrance replied with a huge grin on his face.

Cypher smiled at Mike one more time before making his way out of the room. Terrance walked up to him with a syringe in his hand and injected it into a small hole in Mike's torso piece, sending him into a very deep sleep shortly after.

 _(Present Day)_

"The next time I woke up I was inside this very building. And unless I do Cypher's bidding… he's gonna kill my son. Or worse."

Finn was left speechless when Mike finished his story. All of the torture that he went through during the time Terrance experimented on him must have been nothing compared to seeing his own son's life threatened. And in a way, Finn could not blame him for anything he had done beforehand.

He walked closer to Mike as a tear dropped from the man's eye.

"Mike, I… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"It is. I was the one who dragged you to Earth during the war. If I hadn't, then you wouldn't have gotten captured and neither would have Ethan."

"You can't know that for sure. He probably would've done it anyway."

"I know. But we can stop all of this. If you can help me navigate this place, we can-"

Finn was stopped in his tracks when Mike pointed his sword at his throat.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Finn. I learned the truth during my time working with the Syndicate. You can't beat them. Especially not Cypher."

"W-what? That's not true, Mike. We _can_ beat them. We just have to-"

When Finn tired walking forward again, Mike pressed his sword closer to his throat.

"Sorry, Finn. But I _have_ to follow my orders. And those orders are to kill you… No matter what."

Finn began to walk away from Mike slowly, keeping both of his hands visible to him.

"Mike… there's gotta be another way. I don't want to fight you."

Mike's sword began shaking a bit out of fear.

"I don't want to fight you either, Finn. But I don't have a choice. I'm sorry…"

Before Finn could pretest further, Mike dashed forward and swung his sword at him. Finn jumped back from the swing and took the opportunity to retrieve his own sword, which was still impaled on the ground. Both of their swords were already connecting against each other not even a second after Finn retrieved his.

Despite not wanting to, Finn forced himself to fight back and began to swing at Mike as well, who just as easily dodged or parried every single attack. During one of his evasions, Mike ducked underneath Finn's sword and kicked him on the stomach, knocking him against the ground. While Finn struggled to stand back up, Mike took the chance to try and impale him against the ground, only to hit the floor instead as Finn quickly rolled out of the way.

While it would have been easy to use his sword to stab Mike in his brief moment of weakness, Finn decided to punch him across the face instead. A loud 'clang' filled the hall as Finn's fist made contact with Mike's metal jaw. But he was able to recover quickly and was back to attacking Finn.

Finn held back Mike's sword with his own and the brute was able to push him right against the wall. As both blades came only inches from Finn's neck, he struggled to push them both back at once.

"You're just… gonna let Cypher beat you? Just like that?!" Finn asked as he tried pushing the swords back.

"How could you possibly understand?!" Mike replied as he pushed the blades further towards Finn. "You don't have any children!"

"I don't," Finn tried replying as calmly as possible. "But I know what it's like to have to have family trapped behind Cypher's clutches. Trust me, I do."

"It's different…"

"I know your situation is horrible. But we can think of another way out of this. If Cypher wins, he's just gonna kill everyone else in the process. Not just Ethan."

Mike refused to continue listening and drew his sword back, only to point it forward and try to impale Finn against the wall. He moved out of the way as the sword went straight through the wall, making it get stuck and giving Finn the opportunity to do something he would surely regret later.

He raised his sword and cut off Mike's left hand, forcing him to let go of his sword as he was knocked back. Despite not hurting, the amount of sparks and little amounts of oil coming from the wound were enough to keep Mike surprised just long enough for Finn to drop his own sword and tackle him to the ground.

Finn placed both of his knees over Mike's arms to keep him pinned to the ground and began to continuously punch him across the face. Every hit formed a new bruise on Mike's face and a long stream of blood began to slide down from his forehead. Once Mike's face was at the point where he could not even open one of his eyes, Finn punched him right below the jaw, sending him sliding across the hall and stop just before he smashed through the window.

After making sure he had not accidentally killed Mike, Finn placed both hands on his knees and began to breathe deeply. He stared at his unconscious friend for a while as he recovered from the fight. Once he finished catching his breath, he walked over to where his sword lied on the ground and recovered it.

Despite the large amount of thoughts racing through his mind, Finn knew he still had a mission to do. There was no time for him to carry Mike's body all around the building; especially since he could attack him once more when he wakes up. However, before moving on, Finn dragged Mike's body to the opposite side of the windows and sat him up against the wall right below where his sword had gotten impaled.

Finn removed the sword from the wall and threw it outside through the window. He watched it fall as it hit the concrete on the street below, scaring some of the drivers. Afterwards, he went back to kneel in front of Mike, staring and wincing at how messed up he made his face look.

"I'm sorry," Finn said, even if Mike could not hear him.

Standing up from the ground, Finn began to walk away further down the hall, giving a few looks back at Mike before he turned a corner and lost sight of him. As soon as he did, he shook his head and began to run down the halls as fast as he could, trying to find a way to keep going further down since the elevator had been destroyed.

No robots had arrived to look for him yet, and he hoped it would stay that way for a while. As he sneaked around, Finn tried to contact his friends.

"Phoebe? Erik? Is anyone there?"

There was a brief moment of static for a while before Phoebe's voice came through.

" _Finn! Are you okay?"_

"I'm… I'm not entirely sure."

" _Finn, listen. The truck that we chased out of the building was a decoy. Cypher may have something planned out for you. I think you should get out of there."_

"I already found his surprise."

" _What do you mean?"_

"It'll be hard to explain through the radio. Where are you right now?"

" _They destroyed our car in an alleyway. Sasha was hurt during an encounter with Thomas and Angel."_

Finn stopped in his tracks when he heard the information before beginning to walk again shortly after.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worried.

" _We're all still alive. In fact, we managed to get Thomas."_

"You captured him?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Phoebe continued speaking.

" _No."_

Finn was about to ask what she meant, but he already knew before any words came out of his mouth.

"Is everyone else okay?"

" _Yeah. Erik is patching Sasha up and the twins are looking for transportation. We should be able to head back to you soon."_

"Okay. But in the meantime, I'll keep exploring this place and see if I can find anything of use. I feel like I'm getting close to something."

" _Just… please be careful."_

"Don't worry, I will. I'll talk to you later."

" _Okay… I love you."_

Finn chuckled a bit as he looked around another corner.

"I love you too. Finn out."

* * *

Phoebe sighed as Finn cut off their connection and everything went silent. She cringed when she saw Thomas' body still lying against the wall; blood still dripping from sword wound.

She turned around and walked to Erik and Sasha, who were currently sitting on the turned over pick-up as Erik tended to Sasha's wound. She winced as he finished placing a cloth over it and tied it together so it would continue to place pressure on the wound. When he was done, patted her gently on the back and turned to Phoebe.

"You two lovebirds finish talking?" he asked.

"Shut up," Phoebe replied while smiling. "He's doing okay so far. I just wish we could be there with him."

"We will," Sasha said. "As soon as Alan and Elaine return with a car, we'll head over there and help him out with… whatever the Syndicate have been doing in that building."

"Finn said he found a 'surprise' from Cypher inside the building. He said it was best to explain what it was later, though."

"Can't wait to see it," Erik said. He stood up from the pick-up and stretched out his arm, taking a deep breath as he placed them on his hips. "You know, I thought that if I ever came back here, it'd be to go visit my folks over where they're buried. Maybe hang out with some old friends. And yet here I am, standing in a dirty alleyway with a blow up truck and a rotting corpse."

"It could be worse," Sasha said, "You could be dead yourself."

"True. At least I have two women keeping me company."

Sasha scoffed and Phoebe just kept quiet.

The sound of a vehicle pulling into the alley caught their attention. It was another pick-up, much like the one they previously used, but this one was a bit smaller. Alan was once again the one driving as Elaine sat in the passenger seat. The vehicle came to a stop in front of the group and Alan peeked his head out through his window.

"We've got a ride," he said. "We should get going as soon as possible if we wanna help out Finn."

"Another pick-up?" Phoebe asked.

"Why not?" Elaine asked as she peeked her own head out. "Besides, it'll be easier to carry the body."

"Body?" Sasha asked.

Alan pointed at Thomas.

"I figured Angie would find _some_ use for it. Come on, let's get a move on, people."

Erik helped Sasha stand and walked her over to the pick-up. Elaine stepped out of the passenger seat and allowed Sasha to ride in it as she instead rode in the back. After that was done, Erik and Phoebe both carried Thomas' body to the back of the truck, Phoebe trying as much as possible not to look at it before it was loaded.

"All set?" Alan asked.

"We're all good back here," Elaine said as she finished helping Erik and Phoebe onto the truck.

Alan nodded and set the truck to reverse. Once he backed out of the alley, everyone in the back held on tight as he began to drive back to their original destination.

* * *

The cramped space of the elevator made Finn uneasy. Unlike the first elevator, this one was not made of glass and he was surrounded by metal walls in every direction. He only hoped that nothing would stop its descent until it reached the basement; the lowest level of the entire building.

It was only a few floors left before the elevator would stop. In the meantime, Finn kept himself busy by twisting the sword that once belonged to Seph in front of him, admiring the shiny parts of the blade that were not covered in oil. The green curved end still emitted its radiant light, giving the only source of illumination aside from the annoying flickering light on the elevator's ceiling.

When the elevator came to a stop, Finn raised his sword and prepared to attack anything that would jump in as soon as the doors opened. Luckily, there was only an empty straight hallway when they did.

There was only one door at the end of the hall. The entire place seemed very different from the rest of the building. The walls and the door were made of tough steel. The only illumination were a few weak lights that barely parted the darkness that covered the long corridor. There were no cameras placed anywhere, which Finn found suspicious. Nevertheless, he stepped out of the elevator and began walking forward.

Each of his steps echoed as he walked. Even though it was only a simple hallway, a chill went down his spine every time he heard any kind of noise; some of which were sometimes in his own head. He shook it off and kept walking.

When he reached the door, he saw no handles on it. When he tried using his sword to cut through, it did not even scratch the surface and sparks flew from the contact.

"Great. What now?" Finn asked himself.

Just as he spoke, he jumped back when the door began to slide open, startling him. There was almost no light inside of the next room, but from what Finn could tell, it was some kind of storage room.

He walked in as soon as the door opened completely, making sure that he was not walking into some kind of trap. There were shelves on both sides of the room, each containing metal drawers and lockers. The outline of glue above the handles indicated that they were once labeled, but they were removed for whatever reason.

Finn carefully walked up to one of the drawers and opened it to find what was inside. To his surprise, it was empty. He opened another drawer, and then another, and then several lockers. Everything inside the room was empty. There was absolutely nothing useful inside the room whatsoever.

"Wha…"

Suddenly, Finn was startled when a high pitched noise came from what sounded like speakers.

" _Hello, Finn,"_ said a male voice, one that Finn recognized all too well.

"Cypher. Where are you?!"

" _Farm from you, I'm afraid. The building that you're currently in was cleared of anything useful before you even arrived there. It seems you've only wasted your time."_

"When I find you, I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to Mike!"

Cypher chuckled.

" _Oh, yeah. Did you like his new makeover?"_

"You can't control him forever. I'll make it my personal mission to save Ethan as well."

" _You can try. But to find Ethan, you have to find me first. I wish you luck with that. But in the meantime, why don't we have some fun for old times' sake? I'd say you have… Oh, one minute before the entire building is leveled with explosives? Guess you better run. Bon Voyage!"_

Suddenly, all of the lights in the room went out and turned back on, but with a pulsating red light instead as a loud siren blasted through the speakers.

' _Oh, no. Mike!'_

Finn quickly turned and began running back towards the elevator. And agonizing amount of seconds passed until the doors opened and another when they closed again. At this point, Finn was very unsure if he could make it in time even by himself; but he could not just leave Mike behind.

"I won't let him die. Not again. Not again."

He repeated the same phrase in his mind over and over like a mantra. When the elevator doors finally opened at the correct level, Finn burst out running at full speed across the halls on his way back to where he left Mike. The lights in the upper levels were also red and the same siren was still blaring through the entire building.

As if his time was not already limited, Syndicate robots were still patrolling the hall; swords raised and blocking the way as a line of four pointed their swords forward.

"Oh, give me a break!" Finn shouted.

Right before Finn hit their swords, he dropped to the ground and slid right underneath the robots' legs. As he did, he swung his sword and cut off all of their legs to keep them from chasing him, but he did not even bother to finish them off before standing back up and moving on.

He only had a few seconds to go when he finally reached Mike's location. Unfortunately, the man was nowhere to be found.

Finn looked frantically all around him trying to find his friend but could not find him. There was little time left, and Finn could not waste it looking through every room to try and find him. This fact made him shout in anger, and he stood at the edge of the broken window that he had originally entered the floor from, looking down at the street below.

' _Maybe he got out. Maybe. I can't do anything about it while-'_

His train of thought was interrupted when Mike came out of the room right behind him, shouting as he wrapped his arms around Finn and knocked both of them outside towards the street below.

* * *

Phoebe held here head as the pick-up nearly reached its destination. Her headache was not making the trip any easier, and having Thomas' body right in front of her only made the experience all the more gut wrenching. The only hint of happiness the felt was the thought of seeing Finn again soon enough.

As they drove, the building where Finn was came into view. While only the top was visible behind another line of buildings, it was welcome sight that they would arrive soon enough.

"Okay guys," Phoebe said, sitting straight as she got everybody's attention. "When we go in there, I'm not entirely sure what we're gonna find. Hopefully, we can find Finn safe and sound. But I highly doubt that would be the case given our luck so far."

"I'd say our luck hasn't been _that_ bad," Erik replied. "I mean, what can possibly-"

Alan brought the pick-up to a complete stop as an explosion filled the air. The ground began to shake violently and everyone on the streets shouted at once and looked in the direction of the noise. While the rest of the group held looks of shock, Phoebe's was one of terror.

Each floor of the building where Finn was located was crumbling down. The entire structure feel straight down, making tons of rock fall from the top towards the streets below. They could not see the ground from their current view, but they could only imagine how many people were currently being crushed by the falling rubble.

When the entire building came down and the shaking subsided, the entire streets became filled with the smoke from the tumbled structure. Phoebe and the others sitting next to her covered their faces and began coughing when the smoke hit them.

"What just happened?!" Erik asked.

"They brought down the whole building…" Elaine replied.

Alan began to drive the pick-up truck forward shortly after. As Erik and Elaine continued coughing, Phoebe continued staring forward; tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Phoebe?" Erik asked.

"No… No… Please, No…" she kept mumbling.

When they reached the site of the building, the entire area was covered in nothing but smoke and rubble. Some people were lucky enough to avoid getting crushed, but their faces were currently black from all of the ash around the area.

The Sentinels were so dumbfounded by the sight that they did not even notice Phoebe jump off of the pick-up and run straight into the rubble until Sasha called out to her.

"Phoebe, wait!"

Phoebe ignored her and just kept running, jumping over the large concrete rocks layered around the street.

"Finn!" she shouted, attempting to look through the rubble. "Finn, where are you?!"

She was so focused on finding Finn that she did not even notice all of the other people crushed underneath the rubble. And since there were so many, it would be nearly impossible to find Finn. Much less alive. A hand wrapped itself around her leg, and she was forced to stop. She looked down to see a male civilian with his legs pinned under some of the rubble, unable to move.

"Please… help me…" he said weakly.

Phoebe's breathing was starting to become ecstatic as tears finally began to drop from her face. All she wanted was to find Finn, but she could not just leave the man alone. Taking deep breaths to keep herself calm, she assisted in removing the rock from the top of the man's legs. Once he pulled himself free, she dropped the rock on the ground again.

"Thank you," said the man. But Phoebe was already walking away before he finished.

There were dozens of places where Finn could have been pinned under, and most of them were filled with other people needing help. It was only a little longer before the rest of the Sentinels caught up to her.

"Finn!" Phoebe shouted once more.

"Phoebe, I don't think he could've-"

"Don't say it!" Phoebe shouted before Sasha could finish. "Don't you dare say it… He's still alive somewhere, I know it."

Erik was about to intervene but Alan held him back.

"Let her go, man," he said. "Let's just help the other people pinned under the rubble."

While everyone else stayed behind, Phoebe continued to look through the rubble to try and find Finn. Her search led her to the very center of where the building once stood; now nothing but a large pile of rock. No matter which direction she turned to look, it was all the same. More rock.

Phoebe fell to the ground on her knees and began crying even more, losing any hope of ever finding Finn.

"FINN!"

Her shout could be heard through the entire area, but her cries were muffled by her hands as she covered her face.

* * *

Finn's surroundings were nothing but darkness, along with the occasional dust that fell on his face. he coughed whenever it landed on him, but it was a discomfort he was willing to go through if it meant being able to dig out of the rubble currently on top of him. Mike's unconscious body was lying beside him.

After being knocked out through the window, Finn was able to use his grappling hook to soften the blow of the fall. Mike was caught underneath him when they both landed on top of the roof of a car and he passed out from the hit to his head. After rolling off of the roof, Finn pulled down Mike's body down as well.

Despite his attempts to warn everyone in the area about the coming explosion, but the structure began to explode behind him before he even got the chance to utter a word. Making a last minute decision, Finn crawled underneath the car he had landed on and brought Mike with him as well, and hoped that it would be enough to protect both of them from the rubble that feel afterwards.

Luckily, it was enough. And now Finn and Mike were both mostly unharmed, aside from several bruises and a gash on Finn's head. After several minutes of endlessly digging out of the rubble, Finn could finally see some light coming through the cracks, but the sun itself was blocked by the large amount of ash in the air.

He created a hole big enough to fit both him and Mike through and carried him on his shoulders as he looked around at the destruction.

The sight of an entire section of the district destroyed and brought down so quickly filled Finn with anger more than sadness. He hated that he could not stop it; he hated that he could not save anybody; and most of all, he hated Cypher for doing causing it.

' _This… will not go unpunished,'_ Finn thought.

"FINN!"

The loud call of his name attracted Finn further into the enormous pile of rubble. It was hard to see anything through the ash, but Finn recognized the voice anywhere.

While continuing to carry Mike on his back, Finn went to the direction of the call. He had to be careful not to trip over anything and drop Mike, otherwise he would have been running at full speed. As he got closer and the ash dissipated a bit more, Phoebe came into view, kneeling on the ground and both hands covering her face.

Finn gently placed Mike on the gently ground after walking a bit closer and breathed a sigh of relief to see her still okay.

"Phoebe," he called out.

Phoebe gasped and quickly turned to him, tears running down her cheeks. Not even after a second of realizing it was him, Phoebe got up from the ground and ran at full speed towards Finn, knocking him to the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissing him.

Finn's body was still pained from his previous experience, but he found it in him to wrap his own arms around her as well and pull her into a deeper kiss. When their faces separated, more tears continued to escape her eyes; but they were more tears of joy rather than sadness.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" she said. "I thought you were dead…"

"Heh, it takes a lot more to kill me. Besides, it's not just me you're gonna be surprised to find still alive."

Phoebe wiped the tears from her cheek and sniffed.

"What do you mean?"

Finn wiped a strand of hair from her face.

"Well, as it turns out… I'm not the only person that manages to cheat death."

Phoebe was still confused but moved aside as Finn got up from the ground. He took her hand and led her to where he placed Mike.

"Uh, Finn? Who is…?"

"Phoebe," Finn pointed at the unconscious man on the floor, "this is Mike."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **Note: I really must apologize for how random the last few updates have been. Aside from working on my Legend of Zelda story, I finally bought Dark Souls 3 recently and I get involved way too easily.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

 **AtlanticGalaxy46: Plenty more story bits to come. Thanks for reading.**

 **Ooobserver: I've honestly never heard that metaphor. But I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Fiery Crusader: Well, you were right about him being forced...**


	29. Chapter 29: Here's to You, Queen of All

**Chapter 29: Here's to You, Queen of All**

* * *

 **Note: Same drill as before. If you see this (XXXXXX) you may skip.**

* * *

Mike's eyes had not even opened yet, but he could tell he was currently lying on a bed. There was a bright light shining down on him, making it difficult to adjust his eyes and get a proper look at his current surroundings. The fact that his head hurt beyond anything else made his progress take much longer than he would have liked.

He groaned as he began to sit up on the bed. A wave of pain went of his spine, but it was brief and did not impede his progress by a large margin. The new position allowed him to look down away from the blinding light, making the process of regaining his eyesight much easier. He tried rub the bridge of his nose but immediately put his arm back down when his metal arm proved to be too cold at the moment to touch his skin.

Once Mike's eyes fully opened and he was able to see his own legs, he raised his head and took a look at his current location.

It was the same prison that had been used to imprison Finn for the past year. The only reason he knew about it was because it was the only reason he had not gone to attack Finn sooner than he initially did. He could see his own reflection in the glass walls, along with the pulsating red light of the camera currently used to monitor his actions. However, the most noteworthy thing in the entire room was Victor sitting outside of the cell's door, and Scrap standing right next to him.

The leader of the Sentinels looked at Mike with no emotion in his eyes. His back was hunched forward as he crossed both of his hands' fingers together while tapping his foot on the floor. Despite his year of absence, Mike could tell not much had changed with the old Sentinel.

"Awake, are we?" Victor asked.

Mike sat with his legs over the side of the bed and responded while looking at the floor.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two days unconscious; an entire year presumed dead."

"You've been waiting on that chair for two days for me to wake up?"

Victor stood up and walked closer to the glass.

"Scrap here has been monitoring you," he explained while gesturing at the robot. "We were certain you would wake up soon. But we're not here to talk about that, are we?"

Mike scoffed and stood up from the bed, walking closer to the glass as well so he was directly facing Victor.

"Victor… I had no choice but to do what I did. Cypher-"

"Has your son, I know. Finn told us quite the story."

"Then you know why you can't keep me locked up in here."

"Actually, it's the entire reason why I can't let you leave that cell, Mike."

Mike narrowed his eyes at Victor, but the leader had no reaction.

"Where is Finn?" he asked in a low growl.

"The whereabouts of the other Sentinels are of no concern to you. As far as they're concerned, you're just a random prisoner who is not to be interacted with for the duration of his sentence."

Mike leaned in and rested both of his arms against the glass.

"And how long is said sentence?"

"As long as it has to be. In your current state you're too much of a danger to anybody."

"Victor… I can't just let Cypher keep my son prisoner…"

"And as long as the only way to get him back is for you to kill more innocents, you stay locked away in here, Mike. As much as it pains me to do so, I can't take any chances."

"He's gonna kill Ethan and you know it!" Mike shouted as he banged one of his fists against the glass, barely making a scratch on the hard material.

Victor remained quiet for a few seconds as Mike calmed down and his fist slid down the glass.

"Tell me, Mike. Knowing Cypher, what makes you so sure that Ethan is even still alive? For all you know, he killed him as soon as he was sure he could keep control over you with such a simple lie."

"No… He's alive and he's waiting every single day for me to get back to him. I know he is!"

"To be precise," Scrap began saying, "the overall chances of the child being alive under the Syndicate's custody is very low."

Tears were dripping down Mike's cheeks, but his expression was still one of anger.

"And what about Finn's friend? The dog, Jake?" Mike asked.

Victor looked back up at the camera then back at Mike.

"It's the same situation with probably the same result," he said. "But at least Finn remains a true soldier."

Victor and Scrap turned and began to walk away, leaving Mike standing against the glass as he watched them leave him by himself in imprisonment.

* * *

The security was packed with people looking at the conversation through the camera. Finn, Phoebe, Nora, Christine, Angie, Erik, Sasha, and the twins all looked at the screen giving them a full view of the situation between Victor and Mike.

As the leader and the robot walked out of the room, Mike punched the glass again and screamed in anger, throwing a few more kicks at the bed and breaking the glass of the shower inside. Angie, who was sitting in front of everyone managing the console, turned off the audio and left them only with the images of Mike frustratingly pace around the cell.

Angie turned her chair around to face the rest of the group and sighed.

"Well, I think it's safe to say this situation is rather… interesting."

"I'm not entirely sure 'interesting' is the word I would use right now, Angie," Nora said.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," Angie said as she turned back to the screen. "It's just me rambling…"

"I still can't believe it," Christine said. "Mike…"

"Well, believe it," Erik said. "Because our so called 'friend' is alive and is working with the enemy."

"He's being forced to, Erik," Sasha replied. "It's not his fault. Wouldn't you do the same in his position?"

"It's tragic, I know. But he's putting all of Olympia in danger. Not just his son."

"One thing is for certain," Phoebe said. "Getting Mike back isn't gonna get us any further in getting to Cypher. If what he told Finn is true, we can forget about getting him to tell us his whereabouts."

"What do you think, Finn?" Nora asked.

Finn had remained quiet throughout the entire time they were watching Victor and Mike. He was standing on the far corner of the room, with his pointer finger against his mouth in thought.

" _The same situation with the same result_ ," he said, quoting Victor about Jake. "Those were his words. And I hate to admit… he might be right."

"What do you mean?" Sasha asked.

"From what I know of Cypher so far, he likes to toy with people rather than just kill them. If he wanted to keep me and Mike in check, it would make sense that he would keep Jake and Ethan alive in his custody. But now that all he wants is to kill me…"

"He doesn't need Jake anymore," Alan said.

"And he could have killed both him and Ethan by now," Elaine added.

"Exactly," Finn replied.

Before anyone else could continue the conversation, Victor walked into the room with Scrap. He closed the door behind him and sighed as he leaned his back against the same, rubbing the bridge of his nose in the process.

"These past few days have been a nightmare," he said. "Mike being alive. A building destroyed causing a lot of deaths and a lot more to be injured. And to top it all off… there are some in Olympia who blame us for the disaster."

"What?!" Erik asked. "Why would they?! It's Cypher's fault that all this happened, not us!"

"Our involvement was noticed by a lot of people. Everyone is afraid and there's no shortage to the questions being asked to us. Whether we were somehow a part of the attack, or if our involvement triggered it, not many people trust us anymore."

"As long as Christine and I draw breath they have every reason to fully trust us," Nora said. "An attack like this could not have been avoided with or without our involvement. In fact, I think it's safe to say that if we hadn't done something, far worse could have come to pass."

"True," Victor replied. "But it doesn't help that our mission in Ruby District, despite giving us the chance to get Mike, was a failure. We know _nothing_ of the Syndicate's plans nor where they're hiding. We are chasing our own tails in the dark… But there's nothing we can do but wait. In the meantime until we can strike back, I suggest we all prepare. I'll continue to see if I can get any further information out of Mike if he has any."

"Would you require my assistance in this endeavor?" Scrap asked.

"I would very much appreciate it," Victor turned to the rest of the group. "I think we're done here for now."

Everyone nodded and Victor stepped aside for everyone else to leave the room. Finn and Phoebe were the last to leave after Victor did, and Angie decided to stay behind for a bit longer with Scrap. When in the hallway, Finn put both of his hands behind his back and sighed.

He had both of his eyes closed and was slightly startled when he felt Phoebe wrap her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're still worried about what Victor said about Jake, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

Phoebe turned him around so he was facing her and cupped his cheek.

"We'll find him, Finn. I have faith we will."

Finn placed his own hand above hers and looked towards the ground.

"I just hope he's alive when we do."

"He will be. Now come on, let's join the others."

Phoebe began to walk down the hall but stopped when she noticed Finn was not following her. She turned to find out he was looking at the direction that Victor had gone.

"There's something I need to do," he said as he briefly turned to her and began walking in the opposite direction. "I'll join you soon!" he shouted as he disappeared around the corner at the end of the hall before Phoebe could ask any questions.

After taking the same rout he always took, Finn ended up in front of the door to Victor's office. He knocked on the door several times before heading in, only to find Victor staring at the fish in his fish tank.

"What brings you here, Finn?" Victor asked without looking away from his tank. "It's barely five minutes since the meeting ended."

"With all due respect, Victor," Finn said as he closed the door behind him, "was it really necessary to taunt Mike like that?"

Victor looked towards him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"'Finn still remains a true soldier'. It's like you're trying to make him hate me more despite already wanting to kill me. Not to mention bringing my brother into this was uncalled for. I don't think being harsh on Mike is the correct way to go about this."

"Are you gonna lecture me on how to treat traitors?"

"He's not a traitor, sir. He's just-"

"Yeah, yeah, being forced to. I know. Don't misunderstand me, Finn, I know exactly what Mike is going through right now. But killing other people just to save one more is not the answer, no matter how close that person might be. I'll do whatever it takes if it means getting any kind of information out of Mike that'll lead us to Cypher."

"The let _me_ talk to him."

"Out of the question. If what you told us is correct, it'll be hard enough as it is to get Mike to talk about anything. He won't budge as long as he believes his son's life is in danger."

"And if it really is?"

Victor turned his head back to the fish bowl and sighed.

"Then our job becomes that much harder. I hate to say this, I really do, but if Ethan is still alive… we may have lost Mike completely. We can only get him back if we somehow rescue his son… or get proof of his death if it did indeed come."

* * *

Finn quickly sat up on his bed as he took a large breath of air into his lungs. His skin was drenched in sweat and it passed onto the bed. His breathing slowed over the course of a few seconds as he looked around the dark room, finding all still intact and nothing changed. He rubbed his eye, only knowing that he had a nightmare, though he failed to remember most of it.

The time on his clock read 8:13 AM, a lot later than he would have liked to get up. Then again, he had been going to bed at a very late hour recently, and it lead to short amounts of rest. Despite still feeling tired, he removed his sheets and stood up from the bed, shivering from the feeling of his feet touching the cold floor.

When he entered the shower in the bathroom, he only rinsed himself with water for a few minutes to refresh himself before stepping back out, not bothering to use any soap. Afterwards, he brushed his teeth and went out of the bathroom to put on his power armor, ready to start yet another day.

The past two weeks after Mike woke up were a mixture of boredom, worry, and frustration all in one. The Syndicate made no other moves on the Sentinels ever since the attack; the queen had been keeping herself preoccupied with the matter of said attack; and questioning Mike about anything proved futile in the endeavor to see if he could provide something of use. Unfortunately, it was always the same answer: he knew absolutely nothing about Cypher's whereabouts or his plans.

Finn would often go into the security room to look at Mike through the cameras since he was not allowed to go inside the room. Mike spent most of his days just pacing back and forth. Every time food was brought to him, he would barely eat any of it. However, he decided it was best to leave Mike be for the day as he made his way to the dining hall.

The only person inside was Phoebe, reading something placed on the table that was out of Finn's view. She turned her head when he heard him come in and smiled, putting away whatever she was reading.

"Hey," she greeted. "Look who's finally up."

"Sorry. I must've overslept a bit."

"You didn't miss much. There's nothing going on, as usual. I was gonna wake you up, but Victor said you would need your rest for tonight."

Finn nodded. Tonight there was going to be a royal ball at the palace, the same Christine had mentioned to Finn once. It was originally supposed to take place the week before, but the events that transpired in Ruby District kept everyone far too busy. Plus, it was thought that having a ball so soon after such an attack would be in poor taste.

"What do you have there?" Finn asked as he sat down next to Phoebe, referring to whatever she had in front of her when he walked in.

Phoebe sighed and passed over what turned out to be a newspaper. The front cover was an article about the disaster at Ruby District, but the newspaper itself was dated for three days after the attack.

"It says there were over seventy-six deaths caused by the building collapsing," Phoebe said.

"Why are you still reading this?"

"It's like Victor once said: there are some people that blame us for it. And maybe they're right."

"It wasn't our fault, Phoebe," Finn said as he leaned closer. "Cypher blew up his own building."

"To try and get us. I know there was no possible way of predicting it, but it could've been avoided if we never got involved. Say what you want, but getting Mike back and taking out just one of the Syndicate's lackeys just doesn't seem worth it to me after how many people paid the price."

"It's been going on like that ever since we started on this course. But it's only gonna get worse if we just sit around doing nothing."

"I know that. But just how many more will die, though?"

Finn pressed his lips together and tapped the table in thought, trying to find a suitable answer.

"I really wanna say that none will. But I don't know," he answered as Phoebe turned her gaze back to the newspaper. He moved his chair closer to hers wrapped his arm around her. "Come on, cheer up. People are just scared. I guarantee that once we bring Cypher down, everyone will be a whole lot better for the two of us."

Phoebe smiled and she leaned up to lovingly kiss him. They stopped after a few seconds and Finn pushed away a strand of hair that had fallen over her face.

"You know, once things calm down a bit. How about I take you on another date? Hopefully one that doesn't end in a fight."

"Fight or not, I would like that," she replied while rubbing his cheek with her hand. "Come on, we should join the others."

Finn nodded and unwrapped his arm from her. Both stood up and went on to wait out until nighttime arrived.

* * *

The day went by a lot quicker than Finn was expecting. Guests were already beginning to arrive at the palace and he and the other Sentinels were posted outside of the entrance as the queen greeted them all, with Christine standing by her side as well. Aside from the Sentinels, the palace was also being guarded by a multitude of armed Vanguard soldiers alongside the stone path people used to walk.

Finn had been to the palace on only one occasion, and he had forgotten how enormous and beautiful the structure was. All of the lights illuminating the front courtyard and the front of the palace gave the entire area a unique look. I also helped that the moon was shining above, looking huge since the entire city was flying in the sky.

Angie had assigned Scrap the duty of verifying everyone's invitations as they came through the glass tunnel that led to the palace. While everyone was initially creeped out by the robot when it asked for their invitations, they shrugged it off soon after they were done.

Everyone, except the Sentinels and Vanguard, were wearing fancy clothing as expected. All of the men wore black tuxedos while the women wore dresses of many different colors. The music that was playing inside by a small orchestra group could be heard outside; every violin, every clarinet, and every bass instrument.

Victor and Phoebe stood next to Finn on both sides. Finn leaned in closer to the Sentinel leader, and he leaned in as well to listen.

"Quite the gathering," Finn said.

"Indeed. Though, while it may look like a party, the queen is gonna have her hands full dealing with so many bureaucrats."

"I imagine not many people are too happy to see us here either."

"Probably. But we can hope this night goes by smoothly without any sort of trouble. I have a feeling it'll be a long night for us."

Once all of the guests arrived and Nora finished greeting them all, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked inside of the palace with Christine, prompting all of the Sentinels to follow behind.

Everyone separated and went to different areas of the main room once inside. The small orchestra that Finn heard from outside was playing in front of the throne. The statue of the Ziz Bird stood just as proudly as it ever did, being illuminated by lights pointed up from the ground on both sides of the orchestra's stage. And aside from the music, the room was filled with the sound of people talking to one another.

Finn slightly jumped when Phoebe tapped him on the back, knocking him out of his trance. He turned to face her and found that Angie was with her as well.

"Angie needs me to go help out with a few things," Phoebe said. "Are you going to be alright on your own?"

Finn scoffed.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Finn asked.

"That's exactly why I ask the question."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry. You go and do whatever it is you have to."

Phoebe smiled and followed Angie as the two women walked off. His eyes were brought to the front of the room towards the orchestra, who had stopped playing their music as Nora stepped up with microphone in her hand, both of her white armored bodyguards standing beside her. Everyone stopped their conversations to listen to the queen as she brought the microphone closer to her mouth.

"I'd like to thank all of you once again for coming," she said. "I know these past few weeks have not been the absolute best. The tragedy in Ruby District was a despicable event, and people from all districts were affected by it. Unfortunately, all we can do now is pray for all those that were lost."

Nora was handed a glass of liquor and she raised it a few inches over her head.

"A toast to Olympia and all the humans who inhabit her. Long may she soar the skies."

Everyone raised their own glasses and drank from them after her speech was over. When Nora stepped off from the stage, the music continued playing and she was beginning to be talked to as soon as she began walking through the crowd.

Finn sighed and simply looked around the room, searching for anything that might prove useful of him during the event.

* * *

"And that's how all of his hair was burned clean off his head," Angie ended the story she was telling Phoebe as she worked on one of the broken lights inside the room.

"Wow. I had no idea you were engaged once," Phoebe said.

"He was a sweetheart. But that's what you get when you invite someone over to your work. A lab like mine is a dangerous place to be in. To be honest, him breaking up with me didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. I just kinda… shrugged it off by continuing to work some more. Screwdriver."

Phoebe reached into small toolbox lying next to her and handed Angie the tool she asked for.

"And you never dated anyone else afterwards?" Phoebe asked.

"Nah. I figured after that whole scenario that romance just wasn't for me. Especially when they start talking about having… ugh… kids."

"You don't like kids?"

"I do. But not when they're entrusted to me twenty-four seven. I am not the safest person for a kid to around with. If only Seph was still here, he could tell you."

"What do you mean?"

Angie placed the screwdriver on the ground after she was done with it.

"Seph joined when he was very young, but Cypher was younger. Until he came to the age when he could finally wield a sword, he was left under my charge in my lab. He was real pest, but not as much as he was now. Sadly, Cypher was the closest thing I ever had to an actual son, and looked where it turned out."

"I'm sure you had nothing to do with what happened to him."

"I'm not saying that… well, mostly. My point is, I never saw myself as a motherly figure. And at my current age, I still don't."

The light Angie worked on suddenly burst to life, and it illuminated another part of the room. Angie stood from the ground after she was done and wiped some of the sweat from her brows.

"Hear my advice," Angie said as she placed a hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "If you and Finn ever decide to be parents, don't let your children's hair get burned off."

Phoebe's eyes widened and a fairly noticeable blush came over her cheeks.

"I… I think it's a bit early to talking about that kind of stuff, Angie."

"It's never too early. Always be prepared for the future. Besides, I think you're both old enough to be making your own decisions."

Phoebe gulped and exhaled.

"Are we finished here?" she asked while gesturing to the fixed light.

"Yep. We should probably…"

Ange stopped talking as he eyes trailed behind Phoebe. She was confused about her behavior, and decided to turn around to where she was looking.

"What are you looking at?" Phoebe asked.

"Let's go somewhere else," Angie replied as she grabbed Phoebe by the arm before she could get a good look and began to pull her away.

"Angie?!"

Before Phoebe could ask what was wrong, the female voice that called Angie's name from behind them caused her to stop in her tracks and wince. When the two women turned around, they were met with another woman wearing a black dress; who looked an awful lot like Angie except for having a lighter shade of black hair.

Angie forced a smile on her face.

"Brenda!" Angie asked, pretending to sound excited.

"I should have expected to find you here," Brenda replied. "And of course your hands would be dirty."

Angie looked down at her hands that were still covered with the stains from working with the light. A little girl walked in from the crowd next to Brenda and stood next to her, wearing a smaller version of her dress and keeping the same hairstyle. She looked more or less to be at least nine years old.

"Aunt Angie?!" the girl asked excitedly.

"Hey, Melissa!" Angie greeted. "My, my, you've gotten taller since we last saw each other."

Melissa giggled and started walking towards Angie, but Brenda held her back.

"I see not much has changed with you, however," Brenda said.

"I've been very busy lately," Angie replied. "I don't exactly have the luxury of gaining some manners when I'm helping to protect our queen."

Brenda chuckled.

"We both know you're not an actual Sentinel, Angie," she said. "But we're not here to talk about professions, who is this with you?"

Angie motioned to Phoebe.

"This is Phoebe," Angie said. "A fellow Sentinel. Phoebe, this is Brenda. My sister, in case you couldn't tell by now."

"And the only person on the family that wasn't completely senseless," Brenda said. "Our parents always saw you as a genius, but look at you. Working on repairing lights. Defending our queen, indeed. Oh, what's wrong, dear sister?"

Phoebe looked over to Angie, who was gritting her teeth as one of her eyebrows was twitching.

"Well… I'm… so happy… that you are happy," Angie replied, forcing a smile.

"Hmm. Melissa, say good-bye to your aunt," Brenda told her daughter.

"Bye, Angie," Melissa said sadly as Brenda walked away with her.

Once she was gone, Angie brought both of her hands over her mouth and muffled her loud scream.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked.

"I swear, if it wasn't for Melissa, I would've strangled that woman right then and there," Angie replied, still gritting her teeth.

"You two don't see eye-to-eye very often, huh?"

"That obvious? Anyway, I've wasted enough of your time. You may go about your business while I go and punch a wall somewhere."

Phoebe nodded as Angie began to walk away, opening and closing both of her fists. After she was out of sight, Phoebe looked around the crowd to try and find Finn, if she could even get past the numerous amount of people.

* * *

 **XXXXXX**

Christine was nervous beyond any measure. She had not seen Nora since she stopped giving her speech in front of everyone, and the thought of her mother seeing her standing next to Sandra scared her a lot more than it should have. The two women were standing in the far side of the room where the crowd was the least dense. Their backs were placed against the wall behind them as both looked around the room at the other guests.

Sandra was drinking a glass of wine while Christine drank a simple glass of water. Despite Sandra offering some of her drink, Christine had never taken a liking to the flavor. However, whatever she was currently drinking was the least of her concerns as she was too busy looking around the room for her mother, taking a few quick drinks of water every few seconds.

Her strange behavior was noticed by Sandra, and the black dress wearing woman tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Christine, are you feeling okay?" Sandra sked.

"Of course," Christine quickly replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem kinda nervous."

"I'm fine, Sandra. Just a little tired, I guess."

"I didn't think the hands of tired people shook so much."

Christine looked down at the hand that held her water glass, noticing the water fidgeting inside. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm just nervous about you meeting my mother. She's excited but… still."

Sandra took a sip from her wine and exhaled. She placed her hand on Christine shoulder, prompting the princess to look at her.

"Christine…" Sandra said, "The queen doesn't really know about us, does she?"

Christine opened her mouth to speak, but her lips only shook and she bowed her head, not daring to look at her lover in the face.

"I'm sorry, Sandra. I do love you, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her. I don't know how she would possibly react if…"

"Do you really believe she would be opposed? Nora has always seemed like an understanding person."

Christine bit her lip.

"I don't-"

"Christine."

The princess was startled when Nora's voice called out to her as she walked towards her. Some people tried speaking to her but she kindly declined them for the time being as she stood in front of the other two women.

"Mom," Christine said, "I thought you were speaking to the guests."

"I just wanted to make sure my daughter was enjoying herself."

Before Christine could reply, Sandra interrupted her by snatching the glass of water from her hand, holding it beside her own wine glass.

"I'll get us some more drinks," she said while smiling then turned to Nora. "It was nice to see you in person, Your Majesty. My name is Sandra. I'm a friend of Christine."

Christine was afraid if what she meant by "friend" was true or not, but she allowed herself to force a smile.

"Yeah, we've hung out sometimes."

"Would you like to get you a drink as well?"

Nora smiled.

"I'm quite alright. It's nice to meet you as well, Sandra," she said.

Sandra slightly bowed her head before she walked off to get more drinks for them. As much as she hated seeing her go, Christine was also relieved it was just her and her mother for the time being. When the princess turned her attention back to Nora, the queen was speaking with her personal guards.

"I wish to speak to my daughter in private. Would you mind giving us a moment?"

The two soldiers bowed their heads and walked away, standing just far enough to where they could not hear the two women speaking.

"What is it, Mom?" Christine asked, wondering why she had ordered her guards away.

When Nora turned her attention back to Christine, her expression was stern.

"I barely know Sandra, so I don't know what to expect of her. But I never expected my own daughter to be a liar."

Christine was shocked by Nora's words.

"A liar?! What… what do you mean?"

"I have a feeling Sandra is more than just a friend. And don't try to deny it, Christine. Lying to your own mother is not as easy as you might think it is."

Christine was left completely dumbfounded. She had no idea how to respond to her mother about the topic she had brought up. In that moment, Christine knew her life was over.

"I… I didn't… Mom, I'm so…"

She lowered her head and sniffed, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Just before they did, however, Nora raised her head by gently grabbing her chin. And this time, she had smile on her face.

"Oh, sweetie, I think it's wonderful," Nora said.

Christine's watery eyes widened in surprise to her mother's reaction.

"You… you do?"

"Of course. You can love whoever you want, Christine. Even if I would have disapproved, you shouldn't let my opinion get in the way of being with the one you love."

Christine slightly chuckled and wiped away the single tear that managed to escape her eye.

"But how did you even know?" she asked.

"It's the way your eyes look whenever you see her. I've had the same experience in my life, and I can tell when someone is special to you."

"So… Sandra and I can stay together?"

"Of course."

Nora was thrown back a bit when Christine wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her shoulder.

"Thank you."

Nora smiled and wrapped her own arms around her daughter.

"I love you, Christine. And I only want you to be happy. Always remember that."

The two women separated from the hug and Christine sniffed again.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you too."

"Now, I have to go find your brother. You enjoy the party, sweetie." Christine nodded and Nora began to walk away, but turned her head back to her daughter before she got far. "By the way, you should invite Sandra over for dinner sometime. I would love to get to know her better."

Christine chuckled and Nora walked away, meeting with her personal guards as they waited for her. Only a few seconds after, Sandra arrived once more with refilled glasses of wine and water.

"How did it go?" she asked as she handed the glass of water to Christine.

Christine looked up at her and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss, which Sandra returned.

"It went perfectly."

 **XXXXXX**

* * *

After what felt like forever, Phoebe was able to find Finn standing among the crowd of people. She carefully squeezed her way through a few more guests that stood in her way until she managed to get behind him, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention and making him turn around.

"Ah, there you are," Finn said. "Were you able to help Angie?"

"If you could even call handing her tools to fix a light helping, then yes," Phoebe replied. "What have you been doing?"

"Just making sure no one tries anything funny. But everything seems to be going pretty well so far."

"Do you really think Cypher would try something here? I mean, the place is guarded by Vanguards soldiers everywhere."

"I wouldn't put it past him."

"I guess we're stuck in here for the entire night, then."

Finn smiled and placed his hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

"You know, I haven't checked for anything suspicious outside," he said. "Care to help me out?"

Phoebe smiled as well.

"I think that's a good idea. There's too many people in here for my taste."

Finn grabbed Phoebe's hand and led her across the room and through the crowd. They walked towards the stage where the orchestra was playing and walked around, going through the doors that led deeper inside the palace.

There were several attendants through the hallway as well, trying to get away from the large crowds as well, Finn had no doubt. He had never been too far inside of the palace, so he trusted his gut when trying to figure out which way to go. And Phoebe was completely oblivious as to where exactly the entire time they walked through the halls.

Multiple Vanguard soldiers walked past them along the way, paying the two Sentinels no mind as they went about their duties. It was not long before they reached the doors that led to the outside to the palace's rear exterior. Finn pushed open the doors, and both were mesmerized by the sight before them.

Finn had only seen the palace's enormous backyard once during his initial flight with Victor over Olympia. However, from the ground it looked more like a garden than a backyard. The two of them were currently standing on a stone balcony, which gave them a full view of the area.

All of the trees were neatly trimmed and not a single one stood out from the rest of them. Each tree was decorated with different flowers of a variety of colors. Stone paths were laid out for anyone who wanted to take a walk across the gardens, all leading up to a fountain in the very center. The fountain itself had lights that made the water grow bright in the dark, and was decorated with smaller versions of the Ziz Bird statue in the throne room. And all of it was splendidly illuminated by the large moon in the sky.

"It's beautiful," Phoebe said.

"Yeah, it is," Finn replied.

Finn turned his head so he could see Phoebe's reaction. But upon doing so, he witnessed something that was much more surprising than the gardens. He tapped Phoebe on the shoulder and pointed in the direction, making her look and become just as surprised as he was.

Erik and Sasha were both on the other side of the balcony, Sasha with her back against the wall as she and Erik kissed each other passionately.

Finn cleared his throat loudly so the two of them would know they were there. Sasha was the first to open her eyes, taking a deep breath of surprise through her nose as she pushed Erik away. Erik was confused at first until he also saw the two standing on the balcony watching them. Both of their cheeks were deep red at this point.

"Guys!" Erik said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe. What a surprise."

"I would say," Phoebe said while smirking.

"We were just, umm… making our way back inside," Sasha said as an excuse to leave. "Come on, Erik."

Sasha grabbed Erik's hand and pulled him towards the door leading back inside as the four of them avoided eye contact. Once Erik and Sasha were both gone, Finn and Phoebe looked at each other and began laughing as they walked to the edge of the stone balcony.

"Well, that was certainly shocking," Phoebe said as she leaned her hands on the stone railing.

"I mean, I kinda expected it…" Finn replied as he also leaned against the railing.

Phoebe rested her head on his shoulders while looking at the gardens.

"At least now we have this view all to ourselves," she said.

"Everyone inside is gonna be looking for us soon."

"Let them wait. I'm sure a few minutes out here won't do any harm."

Finn wrapped his arm around Phoebe and pulled her closer, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Apparently, even Olympia had crickets as well because their sounds could be heard through the entire gardens despite them not being visible. The sound of water from the fountain was faint, but it was still present in the air despite the rest of the noise.

The couple remained in each other's arms for a while, neither wanting to step away from the other. They're armor was not exactly the appropriate attire to be wearing for such and occasion, but neither of them minded it in the slightest.

"Finn, remember that second date you told me about earlier?" Phoebe asked.

"What about it?"

Phoebe raised her head from Finn's shoulder so she could see his face.

"I think this works out just fine."

She wrapped her arms around Finn's neck, pulled him closer, and pressed her own lips against his as they closed their eyes. Finn helped deepen the kiss by placing his own hands on her hips. Both of them only had less than a second to catch their breath when their mouths separated before going back to kissing. Despite believing he had full control of his legs, Finn made them take a few steps away from the railing just in case either tripped, which became more of a possibility as Phoebe bent her knee raised one of her legs backwards.

Finn opened his eye every so often and marveled at how beautiful she always looked, especially with the moonlight shining on her face. He raised one of his hands and ran it across her red hair. They were so lost in their trance, they had not even noticed Nora had walked outside into the balcony as well, staring at the two as they continued kissing without end.

"Uh, Finn?" Nora said to get their attention.

Phoebe immediately lowered her leg and allowed the two of them to separate as soon as their eyes opened. Finn coughed a bit and Phoebe rubbed her own arm as both had a deep blush in their cheeks. It only made it worse that both of Nora's guards were with her.

' _Now I know how Erik and Sasha felt,'_ Finn thought. "We were about to head back in, but we sorta…"

"Got busy?" Nora asked jokingly, making them even more embarrassed. "I'm only kidding, you two."

Finn and Phoebe both chuckled quietly.

"What can we do for you?" Phoebe asked.

"If you don't mind, Phoebe, I would like to speak with alone for a while," Nora replied.

"Of course," Phoebe agreed. She turned her attention to Finn. "I guess we'll see each other later."

"Okay then," Finn replied.

Both of them wanted to say "I love you" but were too uncomfortable saying it in front of Nora. However, both already knew that they did; and with that knowledge in mind, Phoebe waved Finn good-bye and walked back inside of the palace. After she did, Nora turned to her guards.

"You two as well," she said. The two guards looked at each other, wondering if they should leave. "I'll only be a while. Besides, I'll have a Sentinel with me the entire time."

The guards looked at each other again but ended up eventually bowing. Both of them marched away far enough so they could not overhear the conversation between Finn and Nora.

"What can I do for you, Your Majesty?" Finn asked.

"You're my son, Finn," Nora replied. "I wish you weren't so formal around me the entire time."

Nora walked over to the railing and leaned her hands against it, taking a deep sigh as she did.

"Tired?" Finn asked.

"You have no idea. And the night is barely over."

"I imagine Phoebe would somehow relate to what you're going through. She did rule a kingdom once."

"When you're someone as innocent as her, it's hard to rule a kingdom. Imagine when it's Christine's turn to rule this one," she said as she gestured all around her. "She's always been a delicate thing."

"Phoebe and Christine are both stronger than they might look. I'm sure Christine will make a great leader. I have no doubt about that."

"I can't really argued with your argument. You've actually had the privilege of exploring the world below Olympia. Me? I've always been a prisoner of my own city."

"I'm sure you'd be able to go down to Earth if you asked. I mean, you are the queen, after all."

"If it were that easy…" Nora stood up straight. "But listen to me ramble. I didn't come out here to talk about me. I came here to talk about you."

Finn stood a bit straighter as well.

"What about me?" he asked.

"As I said earlier, you are my son. But ever since your arrival here in Olympia, we've barely had any time to talk with one another. Something that I deeply regret not doing, especially during the entire year that you were locked away."

"I guess I've also been busy doing other things as well," Finn admitted.

"I noticed. I can fully understand you wanting to be with Phoebe more than anyone else."

"It's not about that at all. I also feel like it's unfair that we've barely talked to each other."

Nora smiled.

"The day that your father was forced to leave the city along with you… That was one of the worst days of my life. I thought I would never be able to see you again. I had only seen you for a few hours after you were born and I already loved you more than anything else in the entire world. But seeing you leave crushed me more than anything else could after that point."

Nora seemed to be on the verge of letting tears fall from her eyes but none ever did. Finn simply remained quiet as he listened to every word she said.

"I still remember that day," Nora continued. "You were so little. I never thought you'd grow as tall as you did. And yet here you are. A fully grown adult and a fully-fledged warrior. I'm so proud of both you and Christine."

Finn chuckled.

"We may not be fully related, but she'll always be my sister," he said. "And you'll always be my mother."

A tear finally escaped from one of Nora's eyes and she pulled Finn into a hug.

"I love you, Finn," she said.

"I love you too… Mom."

The hug ended after a few more seconds and Nora wiped away the tear from her cheek. The two of them turned their heads when a Vanguard soldier walked out into the balcony, standing straight and bowing as he stood in front of them.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," he said. "I have a message for you."

"From who?" Nora asked.

The soldier then raised one of his arms and removed his helmet; fear and shock spreading through Finn's and Nora's spines when Cypher's smiling face appeared from underneath.

"From the Syndicate," he said.

Finn gritted his teeth and quickly pulled out his sword.

"Cypher!" he shouted as he began charging forward.

Before Finn could get even a few feet within distance of him, Cypher raised his hand and unleashed his signature red bolts, shocking Finn and making him fall to the ground while screaming.

"No!" Nora shouted.

She tried to join Finn by his side but she was also met with the shocking bolts. Her screams also filled the air, and she fell to the ground next to Finn.

Weakened and unable to properly move, Finn was forced to watch as Cypher triumphantly walked towards him, kneeling right in front of his face while taking Seph's sword from the ground. He studied the blade for a while and puffed some air from his mouth.

"Of course they would give you my brother's sword," he said, his voice echoing in Finn's ears. "Ah well. That just makes this a lot easier."

Cypher stood up from his position and walked over to Nora, who was just as weak to move as Finn was. Finn tried with all of his power to try and reach for her, but he was too slow as Cypher wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her up from the ground, holding Seph's sword in the other.

He looked down at the shining blade, then back at Nora's eyes as she struggled to breathe from how hard he grabbed her neck. He leaned her closer to his face and whispered for her to hear.

"Here's to you, queen of all."

Just as Finn was able to get on his knees on the ground, he managed to look up only to see the horrifying image of Cypher driving the blade into Nora's chest.

All time seemed to slow down for Finn as Cypher released her neck and her body began to fall to the ground as the sword remained impaled in her chest. Using the only amount of strength he had left, Finn lunged himself forward and caught her before she hit the ground. And as soon as he did, his hands became filled with the blood pouring from her wound.

Raspy breaths escaped Nora's mouth, no doubt because her lung was ruptured. Strains of blood poured out of her mouth as she coughed, and it trailed down all the way over her cheeks and towards the back of her neck. All of the happiness she had in her eyes only moments prior was now replaced with utter terror as she clung to dear life for as long as she could. Meanwhile, Cypher walked slowly back as he marveled in his work.

"Oh my," he said, making Finn look up at him. "You've done a very bad thing, Finn. You just killed the queen of Olympia."

Cypher chuckled and put his Vanguard helmet back on, allowing to sneak away from the scene undetected. Finn would have gone after him, but he did not want to leave Nora.

"Okay, just… try not to move and… maybe I can… you…"

Finn could not finish as tears began to fall from his eye. Nora managed to raise one of her hands and rubbed her thumb over Finn's eyeless side of the face.

"Finn… don't let… anything… happen to… Christine…" she said weakly. "Don't let… Olympia… fall…"

With her final words, Nora's eyes began to close slowly; and she was gone.

Finn stayed completely frozen. He had no idea what to do. Not only had he failed to protect the queen, he had failed to protect his own mother.

"No… No, no, no, no. Mom! Wake up!"

Suddenly, the doors leading outside from the palace burst open, and a multitude of Vanguard soldiers ran out to check on the commotion. They all stooped just in front of Finn holding the corpse of his mother in his arms, him jot paying any mind to the soldiers as he focused on her.

"He… he killed the queen," one of the soldiers said.

"He's killed the queen!" another shouted, a woman.

Finn turned to face him, shocked at what they were saying.

"What?" he asked. "No! I…" Before he had a chance to explain, both of Nora's personal guards ran up and tackled him to the ground. "Please listen to me!"

One of the guards brought his fist down on Finn's head, and his vision went black.

* * *

 **mrenteria99: Fun fact- Seph was the one modeled after Raiden. Though I can see where you're coming from.**

 **Fiery Crusader: And another one of those bites the dust.**

 **Ooobserver: Hopefully it'll be a good one to get out of this mess.**


	30. Chapter 30: Chains of Conviction

**Chapter 30: Chains of Conviction**

Even after being able to open his eye, the environment around Finn was still too dark for him to make out his current location. His body was supported by his knees as what felt like shackles were wrapped around both of his wrists. The shackles stretched his arms outwards towards the side, not letting him move them lower. Whenever he was able to only slightly move them, he heard the low clanging of metal chains that echoed through the room.

The pain on Finn's head was still very much present and it did not help his situation. His entire body felt lighter than he remembered before he was knocked out, and he knew it was because they had taken off his power armor. He still had some clothing on, though it did not feel like the ones he wore before. His vision was returning and he could faintly see the outline of a door a few meters in front of him, but nothing else.

To make matters worse, Finn could not move his head either. His neck was held in place by what felt like a large metal collar wrapped around it. Every time he moved his neck from side to side, he heard the clanging of even more chains attached to the walls. Finn felt like some sort of rabid animal tied up to prevent them from causing any more harm. But even then, it seemed excessive.

However, what he wore or where he was did not seem that important to Finn at the moment, only the memories of what led him there.

Holding his dying mother in his arms, not being able to do anything, and failing to make even any sort of attempt at saving her; the image of her eyes when they closed was the worst of all, combined with the red stains left on his hands as he held her unmoving body. And as if it was not horrible enough, he was blamed for all of it.

Any other person would have started crying or started fidgeting in fear, but Finn only felt anger. Every time he remembered Cypher's face, hate for him is all he would feel. Finn would often tell himself that it was his own fault every time someone close to him died, but he knew all too well that was not the case. It was all Cypher's fault. All of it. And as long as he remembered that fact, he would not be brought down by him. But that did not mean he would not be brought down by Olympia itself.

" _You just killed the queen of Olympia."_ Cypher's words echoed in Finn's mind over and over. He was accused of the most heinous murder, and he knew for a fact that no one would pardon him for it. It would either end with him being executed or, the one he feared most, remained locked away where he currently was until he died a slower death, forever wrapped in darkness.

The only semblance of hope that remained for him was the thought of Phoebe. He hoped she was okay; he hoped all of the Sentinels were okay; and he hoped Christine was okay as well, dreading the thought of what she must be going through at the moment. He did not stay long after Nora's death, and for all he knew, disaster could have struck everyone else as well; and that worried him more than he was worried for himself.

Finn started to tug on the chains on his arms, trying to see if there was some way of getting them loose. He was only able to move his arms inward towards his chest by a few inches before the chains stopped moving. He tried moving his head as well, only to find it was even more difficult to move it than his arms. After several minutes of the same routine, he gave up.

As he stared blankly around the room, Finn finally noticed the red blinking light in the corner of the roof in front of him. It turned out he was being watched throughout his entire imprisonment. He could not exactly blame them though, considering they thought they were holding the queen of Olympia's murderer. Luckily, to add some sense of relief, the door in front of him opened a few minutes after, letting in some light from the outside.

Finn could not tell who had walked into the room until they turned out on the lights, blinding him and making his close his eye shut. Any attempt to try and open them to see the people making the approaching footsteps was futile. The sound stopped right in front him, and he tried as much as possible to open his eye. When he did, however, he was met only with the pain of being punched right across the face.

The large metal collar around his neck only made the experience worse with how little space it had to turn. It was then that he noticed, when the back of his head hit it, the collar itself was also chained to a wooden pole behind him, giving him even less room to move around. He turned his head back forward, still trying to open his eyes. Unfortunately, he was punched again on the other side of the head before he could.

"Why did you do it?" asked whoever was in front of Finn; a woman with a masculine tone to her voice.

Finn's response was just a groan as he straightened his head again. This time, he had enough time to be able to open his eyes.

The people questioning him were the two white armored guards that always stood beside the queen. Their masks were still on, so Finn could not get a look at their faces. One of them stood towards the side of Finn's vision while the other, the woman who punched him, stood directly in front, looking down at him as he remained knelt down on the ground.

"I didn't… do… anything…" Finn replied to her initial question.

She did not take his response well and punched him across the face two times in a row.

"You remain alone with the queen and then we find her with your sword stabbed through her chest. I wouldn't call that not doing anything."

She punched Finn again right before he could respond. After spitting out a bit of blood, he straightened his neck and looked up at her.

"I was set up," he said. "I'm not working with the Syndicate!"

"The why have all your friends run away?" asked the other guard, a male.

Finn was confused by the question.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The female was the one to explain.

"A few hours after the queen's assassination, all of the other Sentinels were called in for questioning. If you and the rest of them had no involvement, why did they all leave the headquarters and go into hiding before then? Including taking the traitor, Mike, with them."

Finn was surprised but at the same time relieved. If all of the Sentinels had gone into hiding, it would mean Phoebe was safe as well. However, the fact did not help his own case, and the guard punched him across the face once more.

"I will ask you again. Why did you do it?" As Finn did not respond, she punched him again. "Are you working for them? For the Syndicate? Answer me!"

As the guards continued to take his explanations for lies, Finn was forced to spend the next agonizing hours through their torture.

* * *

Finn was left completely dazed. The guards had finally given up on trying to get answers out of him. Even though he expected it of them, he was still annoyed that they did not tend to any of his wounds, leaving him with a bruised and painful face. He was at least grateful that they had left the lights on when they left the room.

His vision began to return to normal as the hours passed. It was impossible to tell what time of day it was, but that was of little import to him. After some of his strength returned, Finn tried once more to try and break free of his chains, only to fail again, and again, and again. Finn was starting to feel ridiculous at this point.

It had only been a few weeks since he managed to get through his year of imprisonment, but even then he felt less like a caged animal than he did now. His neck and wrist had become scrapped from how long he had been kneeling in the same position, and being punched over and over by his interrogators did not make it any easier on him. The thoughts of being able to see Phoebe again and also bring Cypher to justice somehow were the only things keeping him from giving up.

Just as Finn was about to try to break his chains again, the handle of the room's door began to turn. He was worried for a second that the guard had returned again so soon to continue their questioning. Instead, however, it was his sister, Christine.

Finn breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her, even if her face showed no happiness in being in his presence. She walked into the room and closed the door behind her, afterwards walking towards Finn with both hands behind her back. And all the while her expression was simply blank, which Finn found weird considering recent events. He was just glad to see her okay.

Once Christine reached Finn, she stopped a few inches in front of him and made no other move besides just staring at him.

"Christine," Finn said. "Man, am I glad to see you. Everyone in this city wants my head on a spike, and I don't think they'll be too patient to wait very long. Is there some way you can…?"

Finn trailed off on his words when Christine unfolded her hands from her back, revealing that she was holding a knife in one of them.

At first, he thought she was somehow going to use it to break him free of his chains, but that theory was out the window when tears began to spill from her eyes and her hands began shaking, either from fear or anger. Finn was left in shock that the only person in Olympia who he thought still trusted him was about to do the unthinkable. He did his best not to panic.

"Christine…" he said in a calm voice. "You know I would _never_ think of killing our mother. This is exactly what Cypher wants. And if we let him get to us, he wins. He's the one who killed Mom, not me!"

Christine still held the knife as she took a shallow breath.

"Killed her or not, you failed to defend her…" she said in practically a whisper.

Finn was completely broken by her words.

"I know I did. Those events will haunt me for the rest of my life, believe me. But I… no, _we_ can avenge her death. We can make Cypher pay. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But your anger is currently being pointed at the wrong guy," Finn leaned his head forward as much as he could. "I'm not a killer. I'm your brother… and I would never do anything that would cause my sister harm."

Christine made no other move and simply kept looking at Finn. It was hard for him to tell if he had actually talked some sense into her. But that question was quickly answered when she barred her teeth, raised the knife, and brought it down towards Finn.

His eye was closed in preparation for the knife to pierce his skin, but instead he felt nothing. Confused, he opened his eye and found that Christine had impaled the knife on the wooden pole behind him, allowing him to see the reflection of his eyes in the blade right next to his head.

By the time he breathed a sigh of relief, the door to the room was closed as Christine left, leaving him alone once more.

* * *

As Christine reached the door to Nora's room, which was now her room, he opened it and immediately closed it behind her once she was inside. She did not even bother to lie down on the bed and simply leaned her back against the door, letting her cries fully escape her mouth once she was away from anyone that might see her.

She did not bother to wipe her tears away despite them landing on her dress. While covering her mouth with one hand, she slid down the door until she was sitting on the ground in front of it.

The only other sound in the room aside from her cries was the wind blowing in from the balcony inside the room, which provided a full view of the gardens behind the palace and allowed the sun to shine through and illuminate the room. But no amount of sunshine made Christine feel any better.

Christine remained in her position for a while, until a knock on the door startled her and a female voice called from the other side.

"Ma'am? I have something of importance to give you," the voice said.

From the way she spoke, Christine could tell she was a soldier of the Vanguard. She sniffed and wiped away her tears before standing up and unlocking the door. She opened it just enough so that only half of her face could be seen by the woman outside.

"What is-"

Before Christine could finish, the female soldier quickly pushed the door open and forced Christine to stand back. The princess was horrified that it was another assassin sent to kill her, but once the soldier finished closing the door again, she removed her helmet and it turned out to be Phoebe in disguise.

"You?!" Christine asked in surprise.

Phoebe put threw the helmet on the large bed and stood closer.

"Everyone in the city is looking for all members of the Sentinels," she said. "Disguising myself was the only way I could get to you unseen."

Christine crossed her arms.

"What do you want, then?" she asked.

"Finn is currently rotting away in a cell because everyone thinks he's guilty of Nora's murder. I know Finn more than most people do and I know he would never do such a thing. If anyone can get him out of this situation, it's you."

Christine did not reply. She only turned away from Phoebe and walked over to the balcony, looking down at the gardens below. She was on the verge of breaking down once more when she noticed some of her mother's blood had left a stain on the ground far below, but she kept her composure and looked away from it.

"I do believe Finn is innocent of this crime," Christine admitted, remembering the look in his eye when she spoke to him in his cell. "But even if I wanted to free him… it's impossible."

"Why?" Phoebe asked, unsatisfied with her answer.

Christine sighed.

"When it comes to situations like these, the public had more power than even the queen does. And I'm not the queen just yet. Everyone wants to see Finn dead and I can't do anything to stop that."

"You must have some sort of influence! Are you just gonna sit back while they kill him off like nothing?!"

"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL?!" Christine snapped. "My mother is dead; my brother is going to be executed; and I'm meant to be the next ruler of this city! I'm to be the next queen and yet I'm powerless to anything! I… I don't think I'm ready. I once thought that I was, but… I can't lead all of humanity on my own..."

No matter how much she tried to remain stern, Christine went back to crying. She turned away from Phoebe, not wanting the Sentinel to see her like this, and her tears fell to the ground as she leaned on the balcony's frame. She was expecting Phoebe to scold her for crying too much, but instead she felt her gently place one of her hands on her shoulder from behind, prompting her to turn around and look at the red-haired girl.

"I know what it is that you're going through right now," Phoebe said. "Trust me, I do. I've felt the pressure of ruling a kingdom on your own. I realized some time after I started that all it takes to be a good ruler is to trust those who you have by your side. And trust me, there are plenty of people on your side. You're not alone."

Phoebe paused for moment before sighing and looking back at Christine in the eyes.

"I refuse to stand by and simply wait for Finn's life to be taken away by another mad scheme by Cypher. And I'm pretty sure the last thing you want is for him to succeed in whatever he has planned for this city. All I'm asking for is your help in rescuing him… Even if it means breaking a few laws in the process. Which I'm pretty sure we already are."

Christine looked back out to the gardens and sniffed.

"Like I said, there isn't much I can do on my own," she said.

Phoebe did not reply. Instead she handed Christine a small card, which had a phone number written on it. And on the other side of the card was a wolf, the symbol for the Sentinels.

"And like I said before, you're not on your own," Phoebe said.

Without any more words from the two women, Phoebe walked over to the bed and picked up her helmet to cover her face again. Once she did, she and Christine briefly exchanged glances before she walked out of the room, leaving Christine on her own as she continued looking at the card in her hands.

 **XXXXXX**

It had not even been a minute since Phoebe left and there was already another knock on the door. Christine gasped in surprise and hid the card behind her back in case whoever was outside suddenly barged in. When they did not, Christine hid the card away in one of the drawers of her mirror's counter.

A few seconds later, there was another knock on the door, and a voice spoke from outside.

"Christine, can I come in?" asked the voice. Christine recognized it as Sandra's.

Instead of responding, Christine walked to the door herself an opened it, finding with a worrisome expression and her fingers entwined with one another.

"Hey," Sandra said. "Is this a bad time or…"

"No, it's fine. You can come in," Christine replied as she opened the door, inviting her in.

Sandra made her way inside, taking a few seconds to admire the queen's dormitory before walking towards the bed. She sat down on the edge of it, and Christine did the same. She did not point it out, but it was obvious to Sandra that Christine had been crying a lot on account of her slightly red nose and red-veined eyes.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Sandra said, breaking the silence. "I know this must be a very difficult time for you."

"It's okay. I appreciate the company, Sandra."

Sandra showed a smile but it went away quickly.

"Listen, I want to let you know that if our relationship makes your new position difficult, we can-"

"No," Christine interrupted while placing her hand on top of Sandra's. "Don't even say that. Now is when I need you the most."

"I… I don't know how much I can help you, though."

Christine used her other hand to grab Sandra's and raised it up to her cheek. Even when Christine let go, Sandra kept her hand in place.

"Show me that I'm not alone at all," Christine replied, implying to the conversation she had with Phoebe.

Sandra leaned in and the two women shared a warm kiss. Despite all that had happened recently, Christine actually felt some sense of happiness having Sandra around. When they separated, Sandra cleared her throat.

"I'm glad you still want us to be together," Sandra said, "but I'm sorry to say that we won't be for some time."

Whatever happiness Christine had managed to gather was gone by that point.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"There's some family business I have to take care of in Diamond District a few days from now and I won't be able to come visit you for a while," she noticed Christine was on the verge of crying again but gently held her chin. "Only a while. I promise we can keep being together when I get back."

Christine shuddered as the feeling of approaching tears lessened.

"Okay…" she whispered.

Sandra smiled and kissed Christine on the forehead.

"I'll leave you be for now."

Before Sandra could stand even inches from the bed, Christine pulled her arm.

"Please don't go yet," the princess pleaded. "Just… stay a while longer."

Sandra did not even attempt to decline. She and Christine laid down on the bed together, both lying on their sides as Sandra wrapped her arm around Christine. The princess sighed and actually managed to smile again, even if Sandra could not fully notice it as she stroked the soon-to-be-queen's hair.

"You go on and rest for a bit," Sandra said. "I'll be right here."

'Thanks… I love you, Sandra."

"I love you too, my little sunflower."

Christine actually managed chuckle, remembering that Sandra had been calling her that ever since she showed her the drawing of sunflowers she had. Since it was daytime, the two women simply remained wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying the feeling of being close to each other.

 **XXXXXX**

* * *

Finn had no idea of exactly how long he had been locked up for, but he knew it had to have been days. Every few hours the guards would come in and try to get more information out of him, and every time Finn had nothing to give them no matter how many times they would punch him. And trying to explain that he was innocent was not helping his case in the slightest. They even ignored the fact that there was a knife stabbed against the wooden pole.

He was the only suspect; and while that remained as being the case, he was doomed to pay the price for Cypher's crime.

Every time Finn was alone, he tried to analyze in his mind over and over how the Syndicate were able to infiltrate Olympia so easily. It honestly boggled his mind how they were able to do it even after taking out their headquarters in Ruby District. But everything that he could think of made little sense and only served to further confuse him.

His train of thought was interrupted when the doors to his cell opened again. The two guards that had been questioning him for his entire imprisonment came into the room, and Finn prepared himself for another beating. This time, however, he was surprised to see that they were instead releasing him from his chains.

Finn was so weak that all he could do was fall to the ground once all of the chains came off. He only had a few seconds of rest before one of the guards tugged him by his hair and lifted his head up.

"Today's the big day, traitor," said the male guard.

Finn simply remained quiet as he was lifted off the ground onto his feet. Despite his short amount of strength left, Finn could walk at a steady pace. However, that did not stop the guards from shoving him in the back every so often to get him to move forward quicker.

When they exited the room, Finn was surprised to find that he was locked inside the palace itself the entire time. He never would have guessed the place would have such a cell for criminals, yet he was indeed walking through the same halls that Nora once walked through. But there was little time to continue sightseeing as the guards shoved him forward again.

The palace was surprisingly empty of anyone else. It was just Finn and the two guards as they walked through the throne room and out to the main courtyard, where the sun's rays caused Finn to squint his eye. Once they began crossing the tunnel that led to Guardian District, however, Finn began hearing the faint shouting of what seemed like hundreds of people. And all of them were chanting the same word over and over.

"Death! Death! Death!"

They kept repeating it without stopping, getting louder as Finn and the guards got closer to the end of the tunnel. When they did, the bulkhead door opened, and on the other side were all of the people waiting for him.

It turned out the palace was empty because all of the guards were busy keeping them at bay, giving Finn a clear path forward towards the center of the yard, where a platform with a another wooden pole and a line of gun-wielding soldiers were waiting. The people kept saying "Death" as Finn was walked forward, though some would often yell insults and call him "murderer" or "traitor". Some would throw something at him at times. Even though he was angry, he found it in himself to remain calm as he was walked up the steps of the platform.

Finn tripped on the last step before getting to the top, making him fall on his knees. He was picked up only seconds later and was carried over to the wooden pole, where they placed him facing at the crowd and handcuffed his arms behind it.

Now Finn was left looking directly at the group of four armed soldiers as they readied their weapons. Meanwhile, the crowd behind them was still shouting for his death. The two guards that were escorting him were handed weapons as well and took places on each side of the rest of the soldiers. As much as he tried to look, Finn could not find Christine anywhere.

The entire crowd went silent as a man walked on to the platform. Judging by the fact that he wore a fancy black suit indicated that he was from Diamond District, and him being on the platform addressing the crowd would also indicate that he was a member of a royal family.

The man was already mature since his hair and beard were gray. There was a short purple cape hanging over his left shoulder, which covered his entire arm as well. The Ziz Bird was embedded on it, the symbol of the city.

"Finn Mertens," he said in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear, "You are accused of the most heinous act in Olympia's history. You've broken your vows as a Sentinel and assassinated the queen. For this, the penalty must be met the same," he turned to the crowd. "As acting ruler of Olympia until Princess Christine is crowned queen, I sentence this traitor to death!"

Everyone erupted into cheers and applause once he finished. All of the armed soldiers stood straight and readied their weapons. The purpled caped man stood beside them and raised his arm.

"Ready!" he said, and the soldiers raised their weapons with the barrels pointed upwards. "Aim!" he said after, and the soldiers pointed the barrels at Finn.

Just before the man said "fire", the four Vanguard soldiers lowered their weapons. Each one reached into a compartment of their suits and pulled out small metal pellets, which exploded into large clouds of blinding smoke when they were thrown onto the ground.

Everyone, even Finn had no idea what was happening on account of the smoke. The four soldiers that threw the smoke bombs ran towards him and broke him free of the handcuffs.

"Let's get you out of here," said one of them, and Finn recognized the voice.

"Erik?!"

As the confusion continued, Erik and the other three Sentinels that Finn could not identify helped him run towards the inside of the headquarters. Erik closed the door behind them as they entered and placed his gun between the handles to keep it closed. Once that was done, all of them removed their helmets, revealing Phoebe, Alan, and Elaine were responsible for his rescue as well.

Phoebe knelt down and pulled him into a hug before anything else. Despite the pain he felt through his entire body, Finn ignored it and returned the hug, glad to see that she was still okay with his own eye.

"It's so good to see you again," he said.

"Likewise," she replied as she let him go. "As you may have noticed, things have gotten really bad ever since you were accused of Nora's murder."

"I hate to break up this lovely reunion but we gotta go," Alan said. "Can you walk?" he asked Finn.

"Yeah, it think so," Finn replied after a brief moment of collecting his thoughts.

"The let's get moving," Elaine said. "We'll have the entire Vanguard on us if we don't hurry."

Finn nodded and was helped up by Phoebe. He initially lost his balance when getting up but Erik also helped him realign himself.

"Come on, let's move," Erik said.

Phoebe handed Erik her weapon and he led the way with the twins. She stayed behind to help Finn move faster by allowing him to support himself on her shoulder.

"Thanks for rescuing me," Finn whispered to Phoebe. "I thought I was dead for a second there."

"You say that as if I would choose to just leave you," she replied.

Finn grunted a bit as he took a step but continued walking.

"It probably would've been the wiser choice. Now everyone will be after you as well."

"Let's focus on getting out of here before worrying about that."

Finn nodded and continued walking as fast as he could. All of the bruises he had across his face only served to make Phoebe angrier that he had to have been put through as much torture as he was.

The group continued moving until they reached the elevator that led to the aircraft hangar. All of the Vanguard soldiers were busy with the crowd outside, so the entire way towards it was clear for them to move without problems. Right before the doors to the elevator closed, however, they heard a loud noise coming from the hall they came from.

"Sounds like they broke through," Elaine said.

"All the more reason to get out of here as soon as possible," Phoebe replied.

"Let's just hope this was worth it," Alan said.

Finn wondered about what he meant but did not question it.

When the elevator doors opened again, they were met with several soldiers that were guarding the hangar. But since none of them had any guns, all it took was a few warning shots from Erik and the twins to get them to hide behind cover.

While this was happening, Phoebe helped Finn walk towards a VTOL that was already running and ready for takeoff. Before they could get to it, however, a soldier that was hiding behind one of the nearby crates jumped out and tackled Finn to the ground.

The soldier pulled out a knife and came close to stabbing Finn in the chest before Phoebe kicked him right across the face, knocking him off. She kicked him in the head again while he was on the ground to make sure he did not get up; then she helped Finn get up again.

Both of them continued walking towards the VTOL and Phoebe helped Finn sit down inside.

"Guys, come on!" she shouted to everyone that was still outside.

Once they were close enough, they stopped firing and got inside the VTOL, prompting Phoebe to close the doors.

"Scrap, get us out of here!" Erik shouted.

Finn looked towards the cockpit and found that it was indeed the robot who was piloting the aircraft. As he began to liftoff, the elevator to the hangar opened and the queen's personal guard came out, along with a few other soldiers following behind.

Finn looked out the window and nearly missed getting shot in the head when they opened fire on the VTOL. Unfortunately, Elaine was not as lucky when a bullet came through the window and hit her shoulder, causing her to scream and hold her bleeding wound. Alan tried to get up from his seat to help his sister but was knocked back down when the VTOL changed direction towards the exit to the hangar, which were in the process of closing to trap them inside.

At the risk of crashing, Scrap propelled the aircraft forward and managed to get through the tight gap of the closing metallic doors, successfully making it to the outside.

* * *

As soon as everyone made sure they were not being followed by another aircraft, they settled down on their seats for the rest of the flight. Alan had already finished placing a bandage around Elaine's shoulder, keeping her from bleeding out until she got some actual medical attention.

Scrap guided the VTOL underneath Olympia, making sure not to fly in the path of the giant jets of purpled flames that kept the massive city in the air. Finn kept himself busy by using the VTOL's medical kit to heal some of his wounds, with Phoebe helping out as well. All the while, however, Alan kept giving Finn a look of loathing.

Finn tried as much as possible to avoid eye contact with the male twin, but he grew more and more uneasy every time he looked at him to find he was still staring. When he could not take it anymore, he stopped tending to his wounds and put the medical kit down.

"Is there some sorta problem, Alan?" he asked.

"What? Is it illegal to look at another person now?" Alan replied in a skeptical manner.

"You obviously have some kind of problem with me. If you do, just say it."

"Finn, please don't…" Phoebe said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You wanna know?" Alan asked. "We just risked our lives saving you; even though you're the reason we're in this mess in the first place!"

"I'm the reason?!" Finn asked as he stood up. "How am I the reason?! What's it gonna take for you to believe that I didn't kill Nora?! My own mother!"

"We know you didn't," Elaine said. "But it's not just you we're mad at. It's Phoebe as well."

Finn was confused. He looked over at Phoebe to find she was looking at the floor and rubbing her arm.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked as he turned back to the twins.

"Our mission was to guard the queen," Alan replied. "We were supposed to stay with her at all times; make sure she was safe from any harm. And what happened? You two went away from the public area and led the queen to a barely defended area, giving Cypher the opportunity he needed to stroke. You might not have wielded the sword, but it was still you who killed her!"

Alan must have driven Finn over the edge because he would have punched him right across the face if he was not held back by Erik and Phoebe.

"Finn, stop!" Phoebe shouted as she tried talking sense into him.

"You think I wanted this?! You can blame me all you want, but you leave Phoebe put of this! You hear me?!"

Finn was knocked back down to where he sat by Erik.

"Enough!" he shouted. "Finn, just stay down and tend to your wounds, and Alan… just shut up or I'll throw you out of the VTOL myself."

Both men complied and went back to their original stances, but their angered expressions didn't change.

"Now," Erik continued, "due to current events, we are all criminals; there's no doubt about that. And if we start tearing each other apart now, we may as well be dead already."

"Wow, Erik; big words coming from you," Elaine said.

"I can be wise when I need to be," he replied.

Everyone remained mostly quiet for the duration of the trip. Finn remained sitting still as Phoebe tended to a cut he had on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied. "It's just… I shouldn't let his words get to me. How about you?"

"Like I said some time ago, I've gotten used to people's words during my time as a ruler. Don't worry about me."

Meanwhile, Alan was checking Elaine's wound again. And all the while his facial expression was always an angry one.

"Is the little baby mad?" Elaine asked, mocking him.

"I'm not a baby," he replied. "We're both the same age."

"I'm seven minutes older than you. That makes you a baby to me."

Alan simply chuckled.

"We are nearly at our destination," Scrap said, prompting everyone to look forward.

Underneath the city, between some of the jets, was a round metal door that opened when the VTOL got near it. It was hard to see where exactly it led to, but Scrap pulled the aircraft up and flew into it. The door closed again underneath the VTOL once it was inside, and Scrap landed on top of the same.

The room they found themselves in now was some kind of storage room. There were wooden crates stacked on top of each other in groups across the entire room; some of which had fallen to the ground on account of the wind from the outside when the door opened. The only way out of the room aside from where they came in was an elevator.

Scrap turned off the engines to the VTOL and Erik opened the doors to get out. Phoebe offered to help Finn up but he declined, stating that he wanted to do it on his own. Luckily, he was able to do it without much trouble after all and followed the rest of the group towards the elevator.

Once everyone was inside, Erik pressed a button to go to the top floor. Due to the large amount that there was on the pad, Finn had to assume they were currently inside a normal building rather than some sort of bunker like he initially thought. When they reached he designated floor, they were met by the rest of the Sentinels; Victor, Sasha, Angie, and Christine as well.

Sasha ran up and pulled Erik into a hug as soon as they stepped out of the elevator. Finn smiled as the girl kept asking him all manner of questions, most of them related to his personal health and injuries. He, however, was met with a hug from his sister, which caused him to grunt from the initial hit.

"You made it!" she said. "I was worried they had actually managed to kill you…"

Finn smiled and wrapped his own arms around her.

"Not today…" he replied.

As they hugged, Finn took the chance to look around the room. It was not exactly Angie's lab, but it was still filled with all kinds of technology all the same. There were plenty of computer monitors scattered around, plus a table where a coffin sized container was placed. Finn dreaded to guess that Thomas' body was placed inside of it.

When Finn and Christine separated from the hug, Christine's smile faded away.

"Listen… about the whole knife thing…"

Finn raised his hand to stop her before she could continue.

"It's okay. No hard feelings."

Before Christine could reply, Angie came up from behind and smacked Finn in the back, making him scream from the pain.

"What the heck, Angie?!"

"Hmm, a lot of bruises," she said. "We'll have to check on those."

Finn sighed.

"I can see not much has changed with you," he said.

Angie chuckled and pulled him into a hug, earning her another pained grunt. When their introduction was done, Victor walked forward and offered his hand to Finn, which he gladly shook.

"You look like you were put through a meat grinder," he said.

"Eh, I've been through worse," Finn looked around the room and noticed that Mike was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Mike. I thought you guys had taken him with you too."

"Mike is currently locked up in a cell in one of the lower floors. We keep an eye on him through the monitors."

Finn looked at the monitors Victor motioned to and saw Mike in some of them from different angels. He was sitting in a cell much like the one in the headquarters, only this one was smaller and more confining. Seeing Mike there only made Finn feel worse than he already did, so he stopped looking.

"What is this place, anyway?" Finn asked.

"This is our hideout located in Emerald District. We built it just in case we were ever met in a situation like this one. When the queen was killed, they were gathering any suspects that could've been involved with the murder. We knew that if we wanted to continue our search for Cypher, we needed to make sure we weren't captured as well."

"So you left and holed up in here?"

"Exactly. We don't have as many resources as we did on our previous headquarters, but we can continue are work without any problems. Only we and the queen knew about this place. We're safe from the Vanguard."

"But… how did you know when to come save me from all the way over here? Are you monitoring the palace?"

"I called them," Christine said. "I let them know when the day of your trial would be."

"I wouldn't exactly call that a trial," Phoebe said. "They just decided to kill Finn without letting him say a single word in his defense."

"Everyone is on edge," Victor replied. "I'm afraid that, until we get solid evidence of the Syndicate's crimes, all of us are wanted for the queen's murder. As of now… the Sentinels no longer exist."

No one spoke afterwards. Victor spoke the truth, and that sent a sense of hopelessness through the entire room.

"It won't last for long, however," Christine said. "I'm to be queen soon. And while I'll admit I'm nervous about it beyond words, I'll do whatever is necessary to keep this city from falling apart. Any help you need for your mission, you can count on me."

Everyone smiled at Christine's words, especially Finn at seeing his sister acting so confident despite everything that has happened.

"And you can count on us for anything too," Erik said. "Your Majesty."

Christine smiled, appreciative of everyone's support.

"Thank you," she replied. "And speaking of maintaining Olympia, I should be heading back to the palace before anyone realizes I've been gone for too long."

"Right," Victor said. "Scrap, Erik, and Sasha, would you be so kind as to escort the princess back?"

"Of course," Scrap said. Everyone else nodded.

Christine hugged Finn one more time before she walked over to the elevator. The rest of the group in charge of keeping her safe followed behind. Right before the doors closed, she waved Finn goodbye, and he waved back.

The quick movement of his arm sent a small wave of pain through his shoulder, causing him to lower it and wince.

"You should get some rest, Finn," Victor said. "It'll be a while before we can make any sort of move against Cypher."

"There's nothing I'd want more after all I've been through these past few days," Finn replied.

"I'll show you to the bedroom," Phoebe offered, and Finn gladly accepted.

While Victor went on to work on other things and Angie tended to any wounds the twins had, Finn and Phoebe went further into the halls of their new headquarters.

The place was not as fancy or well-equipped as their previous one, but it was better than nothing. The lights of the halls were flickering on account of faulty wiring and the walls were a greenish-brown color. It almost looked like the kind of place you would see in a horror movie, which did not exactly make Finn feel much better.

When they finally reached the door to the bedroom, Phoebe opened it and walked Finn inside.

The room was at least well-lit compared to the hall, and the bed seemed comfortable. There was another door that led to the bathroom, which also seemed like an improvement compared to the rest of the building. Again, it was not as nice as the one Finn had before, but he was glad that he had something.

He wanted to go to the bathroom more than anything to take a shower, but he decided to lay down on the bed first. He sighed as he settled himself on the mattress, falling into the sweet sensation of pain relief as he rested his legs. He figured most of his pain came from the uncomfortable position he was in during his imprisonment rather than all the beatings he took.

Just as Finn's eye began to close, he opened it again when he felt Phoebe lying down next to him, cuddling up close and wrapping her arm around him.

"Uh, shouldn't you be helping out Victor or Angie?" he asked.

"They don't need my help. Besides, I feel just fine lying here with you."

Finn chuckled and wrapped his own arm around Phoebe, pulling her closer and kissing her on the top of her head. He was surprised she was not affected by how badly he smelled on account of not showering for a few days, but he did not question her on the matter.

"This just keeps getting harder and harder," Phoebe said.

Finn rested his head firmly on the pillow and kept his gaze on the ceiling.

"Yes it does."

* * *

 **Note: I keep telling myself these chapters shouldn't be so long. I don't know why I keep doing them like this, though.**

 **Fiery Crusader: There will be disaster indeed.**

 **Escapism-my-refuge: I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

 **CoolDudeAgent: Hopefully.**


	31. Chapter 31: Put to Rest

**Chapter 31: Put to Rest**

A sense of gloom crept over the entire city of Olympia. The sun was covered by dark clouds, but there was no rain falling. Even if it did, however, the glass dome covering the city from above would prevent a single drop from landing on the ground or any of the pedestrians walking the streets of the enormous metropolis in the sky. During this time, Diamond District was the gloomiest of them all.

On the edge of the city, walled off from the heavily populated zone was the royal cemetery, where all of the kings and queens of Olympia had been buried over the years. The cemetery did not have many tombstones as of yet, but there was still plenty of space to add a lot more if the need called for it eventually. The archway that served as the entrance to the graveyard allowed entrance to the long line of black-clothed people who were attending Nora's funeral.

Christine was walking right behind the people carrying her mother's coffin. She carried a bouquet of flowers in her hands and held it in front of her chest. Her dress was black, as were the outfits of everyone else attending the funeral except for the guards, which were all dressed in their usual armor while guarding the entrance and perimeter of the graveyard.

Finn and the rest of the ex-Sentinels all looked at the event taking place from the rooftop of one of the nearby buildings. Despite being wanted, each of them were prepared to jump in the moment anything went wrong; and they would not be surprised if it did when it came to Cypher. So they waited, ever vigilant for anyone or anything suspicious that might be hiding in the shadows, threatening to end Christine's life as well.

Seph's sword was still sheathed on Finn's back, which the others managed to retrieve before they left from the headquarters. He was hesitant about using it at first, stating that it was the very same blade that ended his mother's life, and for that reason he would not wield it again.

"If you won't use it for your own sake, than use it to take revenge for Nora's death," Victor had told him when he handed him the blade.

Finn accepted the blade. He enjoyed the idea of using the same sword that was used to kill his mother on the very man that killed her. It seemed like a sweet kind of justice in Finn's eyes, something that Phoebe had clearly noticed when he was handed the sword. Finn saw the worry in her eyes after that point. Nevertheless, she did not question it. After what Cypher had done to all the people close to her, Finn could also understand how she felt on a personal level, but that still did not make either of them feel any more comfortable.

All Sentinels were using binoculars to get a closer look of the area. The line of people attending the funeral came to a stop when they reached the designated grave for Nora. It was right beside the graves of her parents, the previous king and queen of Olympia. The king's name was Salem and the queen's was Dana. Nora's name was carved into her tombstone. When everyone reached it, her coffin was leveled eight above the hole where it would be buried, and everyone sat on chairs placed in front of it for them to be able to rest after the long walk.

Nearly everyone from Diamond District was in attendance along with some from Sapphire, but most were forced to stand outside of the cemetery's gate with only a select few being allowed inside with Nora's coffin and Christine to witness the burial from up close. One of those was the purple cape wearing man, who was in charge of the city for the time being. Before Nora was actually buried, some people were brought forward to speak several words. Naturally, Christine was the first to step up to the podium set up for the occasion. She did not read from anything, she only said whatever words came from her mind as she held the bouquet of flowers.

An air of complete silence seemed to fall over the entire city as Christine took a deep breath before beginning her speech. Her voice echoed as boomed from the sound system placed.

"Everyone had varying opinions about my mother's rule over Olympia," she said. "Then again, everyone always has varying opinions over rulers. But whether you thought she was a good leader or not, one thing was for certain: she was a good person, and she cared deeply about every single person living in this city. She was also the best mother I could've ever asked for."

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she simply remained quiet for a few seconds before continuing on.

"When I was little, barely old enough to understand my mother's work, I would always remain locked in my room. Every time I would want to be with her, or play with her, or simply just be in her presence, she would always say 'Not now, Christine.' Those words always hurt me. I used to think she hated me or that she thought I wasn't worth her time. And for the first years of my childhood, I actually grew to despise her. But I never realized until I was old enough to notice… every day would end with bags under her eyes and her voice weak."

Christine sniffed and a tear escaped one of her eyes.

"I realized late in my life that the reason she couldn't be with me… was because she was busy working for the welfare of Olympia. For my welfare. And my love for her returned in its fullest when I finally did figure it out. I felt dumb about it at the time. When I actually went to tell her, she began crying and wrapped me in her arms as tight as she could, saying, 'Of course I don't hate you, Christine. You're my daughter. And I all I want is for you to be happy with your life.' Heh, I felt even dumber after that."

She took a quick look at Nora's coffin then faced the group of people, which some also had tears streaming down her eyes. She did not look at them so no one else would notice, but Finn knew Christine was aware that he and the others were watching her from above.

"And now all of the burdens that my mother had when I was a child have been suddenly dropped on top of my own shoulders like a large rock." Christine's voice began breaking. "And now… I have no idea if I can ever match up to the kind and loving person that my mother was. I don't know… if I can match up to the queen that she was, and be beloved just like her. And if I'm being honest with myself… I'm more scared than I have ever been in my entire life."

She sniffed and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. The saddened expression on her face changed to one of determination as fast as it came.

"But I plan to use that fear to make me into the ruler that this city deserves. A ruler that can lead us away from these dark days. No matter how hard the challenge, or how long the time it takes… I, Christine Varnon, will uphold the legacy my mother spent her entire life working to uphold!"

The entire crowd cheered after she was finished. She stood off from the podium without saying another word and sat down on a chair that was set up in the front row exclusively for her as she kept a good grip on the flowers. More people stood up to the podium to say some words as well but Finn was ignoring everything they were saying; he kept all of his attention on searching for any threats that might harm Christine or the rest of the public.

In a way, Finn was upset that he could not walk up to that podium to say a few words himself. He doubted he would have been able to even if he was not a wanted criminal, but the fact that he was a stranger in his own mother's funeral made him feel sick. Phoebe must have noticed this because she placed her hand on top of his shoulder to get his attention.

"How are you holding up, Finn?" she asked.

Finn exhaled while keeping his eyes on the funeral.

"I'm doing as well as I can," he replied. "Even though I barely knew her… it feels like I've lost a huge chunk of my life."

"It's only normal to feel that way," Sasha said. "I mean, she was your mother, after all."

Finn did not say anything else. He kept his gaze on the burial for the remainder of the day. When the last person finished talking on the podium, they began to lower the coffin into the ground for good. There were people already leaving before the process was fully finished, which made Finn a bit mad but they had their own rights. Christine was naturally one of the people that stayed until the very end of the burial, finally leaving after placing her flowers on top of the dirt that now covered the coffin. When she left as well when the sun was close to setting, the entire graveyard was empty.

Victor stood up from where he stood and the rest looked at him.

"We've done our job here today," he said. "The burial went down without any complications and Christine is safely on her way back to the palace. I think it's time we head home as well."

Everyone nodded and stood up. Despite everyone walking away, Finn stayed staring down at the graveyard for a longer period of time. Phoebe was the first to notice when she turned after realizing he was not walking with her.

"Finn?" she asked.

He did not respond. The others noticed this soon after.

"Finn, you coming or not?" Erik asked.

"I wanna stay here a while longer," he replied without looking back. "You can all go ahead without me. I know the way back."

All of them looked at each other and simply shrugged.

"Very well," Victor said. "But don't stay too long. We don't want to risk you getting spotted and arrested again."

Phoebe was the only one to stay behind as the others began to leave. She walked back to Finn's side, looking down at the graveyard just as he was.

"I'm going down there," he said.

"What? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Phoebe wondered.

"I… I need to see her grave up close…"

Phoebe did not question him further. She followed him as he used his grappling hook to climb down the building. The streets were still mostly empty, so they were able to successfully sneak their way inside of the graveyard without alerting anyone of their presence.

It was hard to tell on account of the clouds, but they imagined that the sun was close to setting. A stone path was laid out in between the tombstone covered grass, which they followed further into the cemetery closer to Nora's grave. Finn was walking at a fast pace, one that Phoebe had no interest in catching up to. She simply allowed Finn go forward on his own and she would go at her own pace. He reached Nora's grave nearly a full minute before she did.

All Finn did was stare at the tombstone. His expression was blank the entire time and no emotion was present in his eyes. Phoebe looked at the flowers that Christine had left, which unsurprisingly turned out to be sunflowers.

As much as Phoebe wanted to wrap her arms around Finn, she wondered if he would find it inappropriate or not. She still took the chance to sidestep over to him and began to raise one of her hands towards his. Shockingly enough, he raised his own hand to grab hers without even needing to make eye contact with her, and both stared at the grave together.

"It's all my fault," Finn said. Phoebe looked at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"My mother dying… it's all my fault. Alan was right. If I had just done my job like I was supposed to… if I had actually tried to take her safety seriously this never would have happened."

Phoebe tightened her grip around his hand.

"It's _our_ fault, Finn," she said. "I was just as responsible as you. Like you said, Alan was right."

Finn sighed and continued to look down at the tombstone, keeping his hand limp while Phoebe kept their hands connected.

"Seph, Flame King, Mike… and now my own mother." Finn said. "So many people have suffered at the hands Cypher and meanwhile I've been completely useless in stopping him. How many more are gonna die because of my incompetence?!"

"You're not incompetent!" Phoebe said. "I don't know much about you're adventuring life but I'm willing to bet anyone you have ever fought is nothing compared to Cypher. It pains me to say it, really it does, but Cypher is not someone that can be brought down easily… even by you. And I highly doubt I could either if given the chance."

"Are you saying we should give up?"

"I'm simply telling you to stop blaming yourself for not being able to pull off the near impossible."

Finn stared at the tombstone for a while, his own grip tightening around Phoebe's hand as well.

"Well, Cypher is gonna have a lot to deal with in the coming days," he said. "When the two of us are forced to fight it out again, I _will_ be ready."

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Finn and Phoebe managed to get back to Emerald District. It was still relatively early, so everyone inside the headquarters were still wide awake. Angie had managed to take the armor off of Thomas' body while they were gone and was examining it closely. This allowed for them to finally see Thomas in the flesh.

He looked… younger than Finn or Phoebe had expected him to. While his voice while he was alive proved otherwise, anyone would come to the conclusion that he was at least only thirteen years old. His curly red hair covered part of his closed eyelids and freckles that covered his cheeks. It was hard to believe that someone like him had caused so much trouble; and even though he was dead, it made both of them sick to see him like this, especially Phoebe when she saw the scar from her blade on his chest.

Phoebe was worried that she had actually killed a simple boy, but Angie must have noticed because she told them that Thomas was already in his twenties as she continued her work. It did not make Phoebe feel any better, however.

They both stood away from the body and made their way to the center of the room. Erik and Sasha had insisted on making the place as comfortable as possible, so they got a few sofas and a coffee table to put in the center. It was a very slow day, so practically everyone, including Victor, were sitting down doing nothing as Angie worked on her own. Not that she minded being the only one to work; she hated any kind of relaxation. And she had Scrap to help her out.

Finn and Phoebe sat down next to Sasha, who was busy reading a book at the moment, though she seemed to be close to finishing it. The twins and Erik were all just staring at the ceiling while leaning on the backs of the sofas, and Victor was polishing his sword with a rag. In short, it was all just endless boredom.

"Does anyone think that, maybe, Cypher is just toying with us at this point?" Erik asked.

"Heh, when is he not?" Alan asked.

Everyone talked every so often about different topics, though every conversation would last less than a minute before everything went silent again. Finn and Phoebe were contemplating just going to sleep despite it still being early, but it would all be the same no matter what.

Sasha sighed when she finished the reading the last page of the book and placed it down on the coffee table.

"Finished," she said as she sat up straight and stretched out her arms. "Now what?"

"Hey, Victor," Phoebe called out and the man's head jolted. "Since we're all sitting here with nothing to do, why don't you tell us how exactly you and Cypher met?"

Everyone turned to face the ex-Sentinel leader. The man sighed as he gently placed his sword on the coffee table.

"It's not a very interesting story," he said. "Well, not one that any of you would find interesting."

"We'll go for anything at this point," Finn said.

Victor thought for a moment as he stared at his blade, then he looked back at the rest of the group.

"Very well," he said. "If you wish. But the story isn't anything special. Well… it was special to me once. But now it's simply a bad memory of when a simple boy would later grow up to be the monster he is now. Lucas was his name, and he was one of the finest Sentinels I ever had the pleasure _and_ displeasure of training…"

 _(31 Years Ago)_

Victor was young at the time. Only eighteen years old. It had been a year since he was officially made a Sentinel, and it was no surprise since he was the best out of all the cadets in his group. His beard had not grown properly yet and his hair was short.

He and several Vanguard soldiers were all riding in the back of a moving armored truck. All Victor knew was that their destination was Emerald District, though the mission specifications were never clear. There was no doubt in his mind, however, that it was to deal with the raging crowd of people causing a riot in the streets.

Victor was not the only Sentinel going. There were two other new members with him. A young nineteen-year-old man with curly blonde hair and freckles named Preston and a twenty-year-old girl with bright blue dyed hair named Arelis. He knew them both personally from their training, even if Victor was allowed into the Sentinels a year earlier than they were. The most important person inside the truck, however, was Adrian; the leader of the Sentinels.

Adrian never smiled that much. He always kept his steel gray eyes fixed on his blade as he held it on his lap. His skin was not pale, but it was not very dark either. Neatly trimmed black hair covered his head along with an equally trimmed beard covering his entire jawline. One of his eyes was completely white and surrounded by small scars; there was no doubt he was blind on one side. Considering his appearance and the fact he was the leader, he was not that old either compared to the rest. Only twenty-seven years of age.

It made Victor uneasy that he was the youngest Sentinel there, but at the same time he was glad. It had been a year and he was recognized as one of the best. That was surely something to be proud of.

"Victor," Preston called out. Victor turned to face his friend sitting next to him. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah," Victor replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem rather lost in your own world," Preston said.

Across from them, Arelis chuckled.

"If you knew Victor well enough you would know it's always like that," she said.

"It's not," Victor said. "I'm just a bit lost in thought at the moment. I've never been to Emerald District before today."

"Neither have we," Preston replied. He turned to look at Adrian, who was still busy looking at his sword. "What's it like, Adrian?"

Adrian looked up at Preston, looking rather annoyed.

"You'll refer to me as 'Sir', recruit," he said.

Preston cleared his throat.

"Of course," he said. "Sorry, sir."

"And to answer your question, just be patient," Adrian replied. "You will all see it soon enough. But let me warn you, this will not be a simple walk in the park. I expect you all to impress me today for your own good."

Adrian always scared Victor. He was in the Vanguard before becoming a Sentinel, and their instructor was never as threatening as he was. Nevertheless, Victor respected the man. In several ways, he was exactly like he had envisioned him being.

There were no windows in the truck but Victor could tell it was still very early in the morning. Most of the Sentinels had been left behind at the headquarters rather than being sent on the mission as well. It did not matter very much, however. After all, Victor, Preston, Arelis, and Adrian were the best Sentinels there were.

Victor barely knew any of the others they had left behind. The only one that really caught his interest was a fifteen-year-old girl named Angie. She was an apprentice for a man named Terrance, who was around his forties. He was not the nicest of people, but Angie was competent enough to deal with him as he took her through the basics of all he did with the Sentinels' equipment.

She was… peculiar, Victor had to admit. And also very smart for someone of her age.

Victor had only seen the king and queen once when he was officially made a Sentinel, but he saw the princess a few more times after. Nora was her name.

She was still very young. Only eight years old. Being the princess, she barely ever left the confinements of the castle, but she always had the Sentinels to tell her all kinds of tales from outside those walls. Victor was one of them, even if he himself only had minor experience in the actual field. Even so, no matter how ordinary some of the stories might have been-from simple guard shifts or random patrols-Nora always found them fascinating.

Adrian stood up from his spot in the truck, knocking Victor off of his trance of thought. He took hold of one of the handles on the roof to keep himself balanced inside the moving vehicle, and Victor, Arelis, Preston, and all of the Vanguard soldiers turned to face him.

"Listen up!" he said. "As most of you might know, crowd control in Emerald District has not been going well lately. We have riots breaking out through the streets almost every day, and none of them end without several dead spectators. Today is no different, but we have an actual reason to get involved this time around."

Adrian nodded his head to one of the soldiers, and she pulled out a small pad that had the picture of a man on the screen. There was nothing special about him; nicely trimmed black hair, clean shaven face, wearing a fancy suit, the works. However, it did not seem like the kind of person you would find in Emerald District.

"An aristocrat sent to do business arrangements here in Emerald," Adrian continued. "I won't bore you with details about who he is, but just know that we want to bring him back alive. He and most of his security were caught in the midst of the riot that broke out just this morning, and now we gotta find him and bring him home. And since we have no idea where he is hold up, we have to rely on the tracking beacon they activated. But it only works on ground level, so we can only get VTOL support after we find him. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted at once.

The truck came to a complete stop, and the sounds of constant shouting came from outside. Though it was muffled, it was clear there were a lot of people.

"Let's go!" Adrian shouted.

The soldiers closest to the backdoor opened it and everyone began to step out of the truck. Preston tapped Victor on his shoulder while smiling as he and Arelis both put on their helmets. When the time came for Victor to step out of the vehicle, he put his own helmet on and stepped out into Emerald District.

 _(Present Day)_

"Thirty-one years?" Finn asked in amazement.

"Cypher is a lot older than he looks," Phoebe commented. "It's no wonder why his and Seph's fighting skills surpassed most, if not all."

Victor chuckled.

"Yes, it just shows how appearances can be deceiving," he said.

"You don't look that old yourself for your age," Alan commented.

"There's some credit to be given there as well," Elaine said.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Finn," Sasha said. "Cypher has a lot more years of experience than you and you still managed to live through every encounter."

"By luck or because Cypher wanted it?" Finn asked. He turned back to Victor. "Adrian sounded like a cool guy. Even if a bit rough around the edges."

"Don't let that fool you," Victor said. "Adrian was by far one of the best commanders the Sentinels ever had. He took everything seriously."

"You said there were riots in Emerald District every so often," Phoebe said. "Do they continue even today?"

"Especially today," Victor replied. "With the increasing population and the recent death of the queen, unease is the key word when it comes to describing Olympia's current state. The riots back then were big, but nothing like they are lately. Be thankful this safe house is well guarded."

"I can imagine it's not exactly and easy life being stuck in the worse corner of the city," Finn said.

Victor leaned forward on the sofa.

"It's not. Bear in mind, however, not everyone in Emerald is in favor of such acts. Some just want to survive through each day."

"How could this all get so out of hand?" Phoebe asked.

Alan chuckled.

"Hundreds of years stuck in a glass prison in the sky? You can imagine not everyone enjoys the custody."

"Indeed," Victor replied to Alan's point. "Even the Sentinels must tread lightly in these streets. Now, enough questions for now and back to what I was saying…"

 _(31 Years Ago)_

Emerald District was just like Victor had imagined it, if a bit more violent. All of the windows on the buildings were shattered and the concrete of the walls was crumbling.

There were plenty of walls that were still sturdy, however, but they were not part of any building. Every few blocks was divided by metal walls that went from one side of the street to the other. Each was at least six meters high and were manned with gunner on top. The loud roaring of a large crowd could be heard behind the wall Victor and the other Sentinel's stood in front of. There was no gate. The only way to the other side was over the barbed wire covered top.

Adrian came out of the armored truck after everyone else was off. He used his grappling hook to boost himself up to the top of the wall without touching the barbed wire. Victor, Preston, and Arelis followed shortly after.

The other side of the wall was a complete mess. Burning piles of all kinds of household items were scattered along the streets. None of the cars were operational; their wheels had been taken off and were beaten mercilessly by either wooden bats or tire irons. The crowd was in a complete frenzy, causing havoc no matter which direction Victor looked, and some were simply watching the destruction from the upper windows of each building.

This was the worst Victor had ever seen Emerald District. Granted he had only been here only one other time. Growing up in Diamond District, it was like walking into an entirely different world from what he was already used to.

"We gotta go through that?" Preston asked.

"Yep," Arelis replied. "Head first."

"The let's not waste time," Adrian said. "Keep to the high ground no matter what. We're not here to kill any civilians if it can be avoided so stay off the streets."

"How far away is our destination?" Victor asked without taking his eyes off the rioters.

"Only a few blocks away. We'll be in and out before we even know it. Just stay focused and remember your training."

"Yes, sir," said the three cadets in unison.

"You can go through the buildings," a soldier of the Vanguard said. "We'll try and keep the situation here under control. Our-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was shot right through his chest from somewhere below. Victor could only see the gun wielder for a second before he was gunned down by the rest of the soldiers on top of the wall.

' _So much for not killing any civilians,'_ Victor thought.

After it was all clear, Adrian raised his sword and pointed it towards a broken window on the side of a building to their left.

"We're moving out," he said.

He used his grappling hook to get inside and Preston followed behind. Right before Victor could use his, Arelis tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

"Having fun yet?" she asked.

She was already gone before Victor could reply, and he followed shortly after taking one last look at the body of the fallen soldier as he was dragged away. He turned his head away from the sight, angry that he could not somehow prevent his death.

After going through the same window his comrades had gone to, Victor could only make out a few desks and old computers of what was once an office building. Now it was decrepit and the walls were painted with numerous amounts of graffiti wherever he looked. Adrian, Preston, and Arelis were all waiting further inside, using their night vision to navigate the dark environment as Victor had started doing as well when he began to follow them.

Thankfully, their time in the dark would be short when they got to the opposite side of the room and went out through the window. They were able to grapple their way to the next door building without having to go through the streets, luckily since everything was still looking bleak below. It was hard to tell, but Victor could have sword he saw a woman being dragged into an alleyway against her will as she kicked and screamed, but he knew perfectly well there was nothing he could do. He was a Sentinel, but he still had to follow orders to the letter. Saving civilians was not one of them.

' _These riots are worse than anything I've heard of,'_ Victor thought.

The group's process repeated multiple times. Go through a building without drawing any unnecessary attention; reach the other side; enter another building. It took some time, but they were lucky enough to reach the target building unscathed.

It was one of the less empty buildings but also one where they had to be the most careful. An old apartment building, where multiple residents lived and used as a hideout during the riots, but the place was not exactly pretty to look at. It was just as big of a mess as the others they went through, but at least this one had lights even if they were broken and flashing. Victor could have sworn he saw someone staring at them through a slightly open the door before it was shut abruptly when they came close to it. Uneasy was the correct word for how it made his feel, and he could tell Preston and Arelis felt the same way.

"I don't like the looks of this," Preston said.

"Agreed," Arelis replied. "Let's find this guy as fast and possible and get out of her. Where is he exactly?"

"The beacon's signal is coming from directly above us," Adrian replied in his calm demeanor. "So let's head up there quickly."

Everyone else in the group nodded in understanding. They kept vigilant of every single corner as they made their way up to the upper floors using the staircase. The silence was what made them the most uneasy; they expected to hear something during their ascent, but there was nothing. Anyone who lived in the building was hiding away like rats.

They finally reached the corresponding floor, and it was just as deserted as the ones before it, save for a single shadow they saw at the end of the hall that disappeared as soon as it came within view. Victor tightened the grip on his sword, and everyone else did as well from looks of it. It was clear none of them wanted to be there, but it was nearly done. All they had to do was continue to push forward a little bit more.

There were red stains on the floor, and Victor hoped it was not blood. But as the group walked further down the hall, the stains became bigger and more apparent. Some were not even stains and were still fresh, dripping down even from the walls.

"I don't like the look of this," Arelis said.

"The target should be up ahead," Adrian replied, not giving in to peer pressure.

One door in the hall was open, which was a bit off considering all of the others were shut tight. A light came from inside the small opening, but there was no hint of movement inside. Worse still, the red stains all seemed to lead inside. Victor, Arelis, and Preston looked at each other, dreading the worst. But Adrian instead just extended his arm and pushed the door open.

It was as they feared, there were no survivors. The bodies of the Vanguard soldiers assigned to protecting the target until the Sentinels' arrival lied all over the floor. All of them seemed to be killed by getting shot, as evident by the shape of all the wounds. And to make matters worse, they also found the body of the target lying among the rest of the dead, who had met the same fate as all the others lying across the dimly lit room.

Adrian simply sighed, sounding disappointed rather than angry.

"We were too late," he said.

"Who could've taken out an entire squad?" Preston asked.

"I don't know." Adrian looked around, studying the rest of the room. "Maybe the rioters managed to get to them. The room looks ransacked. There might be something useful left to find in here. There's barely any radio signal, so the three of you get to the roof and see if you can call in a VTOL. Give them our location."

"What about you, sir?" Victor asked.

"I'll stay here and see what I can find. I'll catch up when help arrives."

Everyone else saluted and followed his orders, leaving the room and making their way back towards the staircase. It was exhausting, but they managed to reach the roof after going up what felt like over a dozen more floors.

If Olympia was not covered in glass, he was sure the wind would have been very strong from such a height, but there was barely even a breeze. Aside from their own footsteps, it was relatively quiet. As Victor patrolled the doorway that led back down, Preston and Arelis did their best to try and get their radios to work properly.

The day had not gone exactly as they thought, but at least they managed to get through it alive. Although, Victor did also feel guilty that they could not save the target before he got murdered, or any of the other men that were with him for that matter. But he knew it was not the time to dwell on such matters. He was a Sentinel after all. He had to remember that.

He was startled when Preston walked up and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, VTOL will be here soon," he said.

Victor nodded.

"Okay," he replied. "I guess this mission was a failure, huh?"

"If Adrian finds anything remotely useful, I would say it's not."

Victor opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted when the sound of footsteps came from behind the doorway. Arelis and Preston must have heard it to because their heads jolted in the same direction as Victor's. Naturally, all of them kept their swords at the ready.

Slowly, they crept up towards the source of the noise, expecting something to instantly jump out and attack them. But instead, Arelis chuckled when it turned out to be two little boys sitting behind the doorway, looking rather frightened. They both crawled away a bit when the Sentinels came around the corner.

"Hey, it's okay," Victor said, leaning closer to them. "We're not gonna hurt you."

The boys still seemed rather hesitant to trust them, but they seemed a bit less scared now.

"Are… are you Sentinels," one of them asked, a boy with black hair.

"Yes, we are," Victor replied. "My name is Victor. These are my friends. Arelis and Preston. What are yours?"

The two boys looked at each other for a brief moment, then one of them stepped forward. A boy with white hair.

"My name is Seph," he said. "And this is my brother, Lucas."

Victor continued to stare at the two boys.

"Are you two on your own?" he asked, they nodded. "How old are you?"

"I'm twelve," Seph replied. "My brother is eight."

"And you two have no one else to go back to? An aunt, an uncle, a grandparent…?"

The two boys just shook their heads from side to side.

"We've been alone for a few years," Seph said.

"What are you doing up on the roof," Preston asked.

"We heard gunshots downstairs earlier," Lucas replied. He was a bit shyer looking than Seph. "People were killing each other."

Victor simply bobbed his head up and down. He stood back up and gestured for Arelis and Preston to follow him, and the two joined him a few feet away from the two boys.

"What do you guys think?" Victor asked.

"What do you mean 'what do we think'?" Arelis replied.

"We can't just leave them here, guys. They're all alone."

"Are… are you saying we should take them with us?" Preston asked.

"I am."

"Victor, we can't," Arelis replied. "Adrian wouldn't allow it. They're only little boys."

"Little boys who have managed to survive in one of the most dangerous areas of the city for years."

"Wait… do you want those boys to be Sentinels?" Preston asked.

"I'm not saying that they should be right now. But I do believe that with the proper training, they can be of use in the future."

Arelis and Preston looked back at the two boys, who were still sitting behind the doorway having their own silent conversation. They turned back to Victor with a sigh.

"You're putting too much faith in people you barely even know," Arelis said.

"Yeah," Preston added. "We should just leave them be, Victor."

"You know I can't do that," Victor replied. "It's mine, no, our responsibility as Sentinels to protect the people of Olympia. If we leave these two here, they'll be killed for sure eventually."

The sounds of the approaching VTOL filled the air, along with the sighs of both Arelis and Preston.

"Do whatever you want," Arelis said. "But it's up to Adrian to decide, not us."

"We'll at least try and vouch for you," Preston said.

Victor smiled and nodded in approval of his two friends. He walked past them and knelt back down next to the boys, who seemed to have had no fear left of the three Sentinels.

"How would you two like to fight for justice rather than survival?"

 _(Present Day)_

"It took longer than you could possibly realize, but Adrian eventually came around to accepting the boys into the Sentinels," Victor said. "But of course, they're charge was left fully on me. And from that day forward, Seph and Lucas trained under my leadership, becoming the great warriors you came to know. They became the youngest Sentinels in human history."

Victor's story finally came to an end, and everyone was left only staring at him. It was clear it brought back some terrible memories recounting the story, but at the same time he seemed glad to able to tell the tale to someone.

"But what happened to the other two Sentinels that were with you?" Erik asked. "Preston and Arelis?"

"Nothing at all. Preston broke his leg pretty badly during an incident a few years back and Arelis suffered a bad burn on her good arm. They're both living out their lives somewhere in Sapphire District but they are no longer Sentinels."

"Was it never found out who Seph and Cypher's parents were?" Phoebe asked.

"They never said," Victor replied. "Seph and Lu…Cypher were particularly secretive about that. Or maybe they just didn't want to remember."

There was another long moment of silence between everyone.

"You were like a father to them," Angie said from behind after she had actually left her workstation to listen in on the story. "It was all they needed at the time. You could have never know that Cypher would one day…"

"I know," Victor said. "I just wish I could have seen it. That I was training a killer, not a soldier."

"But… what exactly happened on that day when he went rogue?" Finn asked.

It seemed for a moment that Victor was going to tell another story, but he only sighed.

"It's a story for another time," he said. "Let's just focus on the present for now, shall we? We have plenty of work to do."

Victor stood from his seat without saying another word. Everyone else sat in silence as the Sentinel's leader walked out of the room, going over everything that they had just heard.

' _Cypher didn't sound very threatening in Victor's story,'_ Finn thought. _'What went so wrong?'_

* * *

 **Note: FINALLY. Aside from college keeping me busy, I ran into so many writer's blocks in this particular chapter for some reason. But here it is. And hopefully I can get back to a normal schedule soon. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Escapism-my-refuge: We shall see.**

 **Fiery Crusader: To be fair on the Vanguard, most of them were dealing with a large crowd.**

 **Neon and the Lost Soul: How are they offensive, exactly? They're just letters of the alphabet.**


	32. Chapter 32: Into the Flames

**Chapter 32: Into the Flames**

Three weeks.

Three agonizing weeks of absolutely nothing.

At first, having the chance to just sit around and take a break from all the fighting was very welcome, but now the once proud Sentinels were reduced to living inside a rundown old building with absolutely nothing to do. Needless to say, it was all starting to get on Phoebe's nerves.

She remembered the days when she still had her fire powers. How she would take her free time to just unwind from her duties and fly across the sky. Maybe land in a forest and burn down a rotten tree or two. She was grateful that she could be with Finn now, of course, but part of her still wished she could go back to those days. Was her life completely perfect back then? No. If anything, it could be very dull. But even so, she would like for everything to be back the way it was rather than living this sort of life. If only for a little while before they were once again forced to fight a nearly losing battle.

Instead, here she was. Living like a common criminal in a place that was a bit too cramped for her comfort. Erik and Sasha were both nowhere to be seen, probably out working on a task given by Victor. Angie was busy working in her station as always, meddling around with the equipment they got off of Thomas. And everyone else was just sitting, doing nothing. Finn and Phoebe on one sofa, Alan and Elaine on the other, and Scrap was just sitting on the floor, plugged to the wall and momentarily "sleeping" as Angie called it.

"Did I mention I'm bored?" Alan said, breaking the silence. "Because I am."

"We all are," Elaine replied. "But it's Victor's orders. We only go out when Angie gets a lead on the Syndicate or when Princess Christine needs any kind of protection while not in the palace."

"Why don't they just make her queen already?" Finn asked. "I mean, she's the next in line."

"It's not very simple," Elaine explained.

"She might have been Nora's heir," Alan continued

"But the discussion of whether or not she's fit to sit on the throne is another matter entirely," Elaine concluded.

"Why?" Phoebe asked. "She has a legitimate claim."

"She has the _most_ legitimate claim," Elaine replied.

"But that doesn't mean there aren't others who are more qualified should the higher ups see it fit," Alan added.

"Christine is a good person," Elaine pointed out. "But sometimes being a good person doesn't necessarily mean she would be a good ruler. She still had much to learn before Nora died. No matter how you see it, she is not ready."

"You underestimate her," Finn said, appearing clearly annoyed by the twins' arguments about his sister.

"We're just pointing out facts," Alan said.

"If you don't like it, too bad," Elaine seconded.

Finn turned his gaze to the floor and, the silence that crept over the room before now returned, more awkward than ever.

Phoebe was starting to get sore from sitting, so she stood up and decided to go for a walk. She explained that to Finn right when he was about to ask. It was boggling how much she already knew about him in their short time back together. Always the one to be concerned. She did not mind it, however. In fact, she thought it was sweet of him, even if she sometimes wished he would put a bit more trust in her. Or maybe he did and she was reading too much into it.

She left the main room and decided to take a walk across the halls, despite how cramped they might have been. It was tolerable, at least. Being able to use her legs after sitting around for a while took some slight orientation but she managed to start walking normally after just a few seconds.

"This is very bad, Sasha,"Phoebe heard someone say from a room further up ahead. It sounded like Victor, even if it was still a bit muffled.

"I know it is, but…what can I do?" a woman asked in response. Sasha, no doubt.

Phoebe slowly walked to the edge of the open room and listened in as closely as she could. It felt wrong listening in to other peoples' conversations, but then again it was she who did not really appreciate secrecy.

"When did you find out?" Victor asked.

"Yesterday," Sasha replied. "I wasn't feeling very well, so I figured I would ask Angie to check and…"

"This could slow us down."

"I know that!"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Are you going to tell him?" Victor asked.

"I…I don't know. If I have to do anything rash, it might be best if he never found out."

"I would recommend having Angie get rid of it."

Phoebe heard a slight gasp from Sasha.

"But…but I can't-"

"You would only be putting yourself at risk," Victor added before she could continue. "There's no telling how long we will have to hold out here, and the last thing we need is to take care of an infant as well."

Phoebe covered her mouth to hide a gasp.

"Victor, I can't…"

"Think of it this way," Victor interrupted. "You can go ahead and have this child with Erik and maybe, _maybe_ we can all get out of this alive and well. Or you could spare it the chance of having to live its life as an orphan should you lose your life in the fighting."

"And killing it is better?!" Sasha shouted. It was clear from her voice there was no end to the tears escaping from her eyes.

"The choice is yours," Victor replied, still remaining calm. "It's your child, and you may do as you like. I only ask that you do not endanger the others by getting sentimental. I really hope it doesn't come to it, but if Cypher ever decides to do the same thing he did with Mike, I'd keep my eyes open at all times. But you still have a few months to think about it. Maybe less if you think Erik will be a big problem later on."

There was a short moment of silence, and all that could be heard was Sasha's sniffling.

"What happened to you?" she asked. "When did you become so cruel?"

Yet another moment of silence fell over the room.

"In times of war, one must make cruel decisions," he said. "But do not misunderstand me. Don't make the mistake of thinking that I want to do this in any way, because I do not. But as I said before: what you do is your decision. I only gave my opinion. Anything else, speak with the child's father. Goodbye, Sasha."

Phoebe quickly went inside the room next door to hide as she heard Victor's footsteps approaching. She left the door open just enough so she could see when he walked past, and in the short time she had to see his face, his expression was one that was unreadable.

After his footsteps receded, Phoebe stepped out of the room, left with nothing but the sound of Sasha's soft crying. She slowly made her way to the door, peeking her head around the frame to see the crying girl sitting on the edge of her bed, with both hands wrapped around her abdomen. Phoebe had never seen her so down. Not even during the time when both of her legs were broken.

Worried for her friend, Phoebe made her presence known by gently knocking on the open door. And as expected, Sasha was shocked when she saw her.

"Phoebe!" she exclaimed, standing up quickly wiping the tears off her face. "I, uh…what brings you here?"

"I heard everything, Sasha," Phoebe said.

Sasha's eyes widened, but rather than respond, she sat back down on the bed and began crying again. Phoebe walked into the room and sat next to her, and the crying girl immediately leaned on her shoulder. She could only let her cry and comforted her to the best of her abilities.

"It's not fair…" Sasha said. "Why would Victor make me choose? Why didn't he just give me a direct order and be done with it? I can't do this by myself!"

"Why not talk to Erik?" Phoebe asked.

"If I tell him, he's never gonna agree to Victor's suggestion. I know him too well. But I also have to think about what's best for everyone, not just me and Erik. And Victor isn't helping! Damn him!"

"Victor thinks the baby will be trouble, but he doesn't actually want it to die," Phoebe explained. "He's not a bad person, Sasha. He's just stressed right now. We all are. So much has happened and everyone is on edge."

"But what do I do? I don't know if I can bring myself to have Angie get rid of it. But at the same time, I'm scared to actually have it. Not because I never thought I'd be a mother, but because I don't want it to end up alone. What if Erik and I die after it's born? What if something happens to it, like Ethan?"

"It will _not_ come to that. Sasha, look at me." The crying girl looked up at Phoebe. "It will not. If you do decide to keep it, the rest of the group and I will do everything possible to keep the two of you safe. I'm sure of it. And I'm also sure Erik would make a great father."

Sasha's crying subsided, and the two girls remained quiet for a brief moment.

"What if you and Finn were in this position?"

Phoebe was taken back by her question, but one that Sasha seemed genuinely curious to know the answer to. She felt a bit awkward at first, but nevertheless, she cleared her throat and thought about what to say.

"Finn is the bravest man I know," she replied. "No matter how bad things get, no matter how bleak everything may seem, he never gives up. Would I trust him to keep our child safe until the very end? Yes. Without a single shred of doubt. And I have no doubt Erik would do the same as well. Of that, you have my word."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Sasha sniffed a few times, but it seemed like she was starting to calm down. Eventually, she found it in herself to stand up straight and actually smile.

"Thanks, Phoebe," she said while wiping the tears from her cheeks. "You've always been a good friend to me."

"And you to me," Phoebe added. "So…what will you do? Are you gonna tell Erik?"

Sasha thought for a moment, placing a hand over her abdomen.

"Maybe not right now," she answered. "Let's just wait a few days. See how everything unfolds. If everything goes well, I'll let him know. If not…we'll find out."

"And I'll be there if you need me."

Sasha smiled and pulled Phoebe into a tight hug. It was hard to breathe, but she only returned the hug and comforted her friend.

"Come on," Phoebe said as the hug ended. "Let's go with everyone else."

"Okay."

After it was barely noticeable that Sasha had been crying, the two girls stood and left to find the rest of the group. Luckily, they were all still in the same place Phoebe had left them. Only this time, Erik was there, standing in front of Victor after having just stepped out of the elevator leading in. But before Sasha could walk over to greet him, Phoebe held her back.

"Are you kidding me?" Victor asked Erik with his arms crossed. "You can't bring that in here."

Erik formed a fake saddened expression as he knelt down to pet the dog that was sitting next to him.

"Oh come on, Victor," he pleaded. "Please be reasonable."

"You are not keeping a dog in here. I've dealt with enough undesirable things today."

Sasha's expression dropped again, but Phoebe held her hand to keep her from crying again.

"We're stuck inside this building nearly every single day with nothing to do," Erik said. "If this continues any longer, all of us are gonna go insane. Having a dog around to lighten the mood will really help boost morale. Besides, he doesn't bite."

Victor groaned as he studied the canine. A white furred Labrador with multi-colored eyes. One brown, one blue. He was still young by the look of him; no more than two years old. His dirt covered tail waggled from side to side happily as his tongue hung over his lower row of teeth. But his most noticeable feature was his missing left front leg, which made the dog waddle around a bit every time he got up to move.

"Where did you even get him?" Victor asked.

"I found him in an alley while looking around outside," Erik replied while scratching the back of the dog's ear. "Poor guy was just lying there in the dirt all alone. If you had seen him, you would have taken pity on him as well."

"The fact that you actually went outside without my permission is enough cause for concern. We are wanted men, Erik. We can't risk being spotted by people that know who we are."

"I was wearing a hoodie the entire time. Trust me, no one could clearly see my face."

"Either way, that dog cannot stay in here."

"Ah, just let him keep it, Victor," Angie said from her workstation in the far side of the room. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who insisted Terrance build you a robot dog when you were younger. I think this real dog will be very good for you."

"This is different," Victor responded. "I want everyone to remain focused at all times, and this dog won't help what is already a dire situation."

"Not like boredom helps in that case," Alan said from his spot on the couch. "Besides, we already have Scrap as a pet. What's one more? Uh, no offense, Scrap."

"I was no designed to feel offended by such comments," the robot replied from his sitting spot on the floor, now awake.

Victor sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked at Erik, then the dog, and then Erik again. "You will feed him, wash him, and clean up after him all by yourself. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Erik replied with a nod.

Victor groaned and began to walk away. But right before he left, he stood closer to Phoebe and Sasha and leaned in closer.

"That goes for you too on your own problem, depending on what you decide to do," he whispered to Sasha.

Sasha could only nod while trying not to let another tear escape. As soon as Victor left entirely, Erik made his way to the rest of the group. The dog waddled closely behind, with his tail still wagging from side to side. Rather than taking his spot on one of the sofas, Erik decided to sit on the ground where he could be on the same level as his new canine companion. Phoebe and Sasha sat down on the sofa to be with the others.

"So now you got a dog," Elaine said. "What are you gonna name him?"

After a short period of silence, Erik rubbed the back of the dog's ear and hummed.

"I think I'll call you…Rowdy," he finally said.

"Rowdy?" Sasha wondered, trying her best to hide the fact that she was upset. "Why Rowdy?"

"It was the first thing that popped to mind. Also, it was the name I gave a teddy bear I had as a kid. And it just so happens it was also white and missing its left hand, so I had to sew it so the cotton on the inside wouldn't fall out."

"I guess that's a good a reason as any," Sasha replied, forming a smile.

She got up from the sofa and sat on the ground next to Erik to pet Rowdy. Since Elaine was sitting on the edge of the sofa, she could stay on it while still being able to pet the dog, but Alan just stayed seated without paying it any mind.

Finn and Phoebe both chuckled as they saw how happy everyone looked. After how dull everything had been in the past few days, it was a nice change of pace to say the least. With absolutely no leads to the Syndicate's whereabouts or what their next move would be, everyone was forced to just wait while the Vanguard scoped the entirety of Olympia for them. It was an absolute nightmare to do anything on the outside without the worry that one of them would be found and then followed back to headquarters. Of course, Phoebe was grateful she had Finn to keep her company, otherwise the constantly flashing lightbulb on the roof would have driven her to her wits end. She had gotten so lost in thought, however, that she had failed to notice until the last second that Finn was no longer next to her and was leaving.

"Finn?" Phoebe called out, but he was already gone before he could properly hear her.

* * *

As much as Finn would have liked to join the others in their happy moment, he could not bring himself to do so.

Seeing Rowdy reminded him of all the times he spent just sitting on the couch with Jake. No adventuring, no fighting, nothing. Just the two brothers enjoying the nice comfort of the couch while gently scratched the canine's head. And now, not knowing the state of his best friend, seeing Rowdy did not make him happy, it made him sad.

Without anyone else noticing, he silently made his way out of the main room, choosing to take a walk along the empty halls of their decrepit home. He wondered when it would all end. When he would be able to finally live a life of peace with the woman he loved, whether it be staying here in Olympia or going back home to Ooo. And to think so many chances to eliminate Cypher had shown themselves, and yet he failed to do so because of his lack of swordsmanship skills. His hope would have been higher if Seph was still around.

Finn still failed to see how everyone expected him to live up to who Seph was. Humanity's strongest soldier. That might have been the case when Finn thought he was the only human left. However, now with so many actually still around, it was a title that he was afraid he would never reach. But he had to if he wanted to win against the Syndicate. As bleak as everything seemed, there was still some shred of hope. Finn did not have to do this on his own. With the rest of the Sentinels at his side in the coming fights, their chances were better than most. All he had to do was trust in those that would accompany him forward.

When he reached the stairwell, Finn began to make his way down. It felt weird being inside such a large structure with no one else inside. With so many homeless in Emerald District, he often wondered why no one simply walked in here. Victor explained it was because there were quarantine signs placed on the outside. Anyone who saw them would think twice about seeking refuge inside somewhere that was infected with some kind of disease, even if it was not really. With that in mind, whenever he wanted to clear his head, Finn would walk through the empty halls just to have some time alone with his thoughts. Phoebe accompanied him sometimes, but she often had her own business to take care of elsewhere.

Angie and Sasha would both show her the ropes around working with technology at certain points. Finn would never be able to keep his attention on everything they explained, but Phoebe seemed mildly interested, if only to have someone to talk to besides him to pass the time. But mostly, that was the case. When it came to talking, it was just the two of them together, even if they were not in the most romantic of places. Erik and the twins would also help them train in combat to avoid getting rusty. This was what Finn and Phoebe did whenever they were not talking.

And then there was Mike. The only times Finn ever saw him was through the security camera, but never actually went to see him in person. Victor did not forbid it, but he still kept his distance anyway. Since his prison was lined with bulletproof glass, it was highly unlikely he would be able to break himself out. But even so, Angie also explained that if the glass was even scratched, the entire room would go into a lockdown state and an alarm would go off in the entire building to alert everyone. And there was always someone on camera on watch him twenty-four seven. Angie during the day while she worked, and Scrap at night.

With all of this in mind, Finn figured it would probably be a good idea to stop by. He knew just how much complete isolation can affect a person, and leaving Mike on his own for who knows how long would only make his state worse, not improve it.

After reaching the floor where Mike's room was in, he opened the door out of the stairway and followed the hall all the way to the end. There was a code pad on the door, but Angie told everyone what the code was in case the needed to enter the room, and since they would probably need to enter quickly, the code was simply forty-two. "The answer to the universe and everything," Angie would say, though no one knew what she meant by that.

Finn punched in the code and green light flashed just above the code pad, indicating the door was now unlocked. He reached for the knob and turned it, allowing him to enter and seeing nothing inside the empty room but Mike's prison.

The prison was built like the one where Finn was locked away, only this one was not as sanitary. Mike was sitting on the edge of the bed, the fingers of each hand crossed with each other as he looked down to the ground. That changed when he heard the door open and close, and his head turned to meet Finn's gaze.

"Well, well," he said, standing up from the bed. "If it isn't Finny Boy the Pirate. How's the day treating ya, matey?"

Finn stood as closely to the glass as he could, ignoring Mike's remarks about his missing eye.

"Don't talk to me like that, Mike. Your son might be in danger, but that doesn't mean I'll just let you kill me and the rest of the Sentinels."

"You say that as if I want to do it." Mike leaned forward and rested his forearms against the glass, then rested his forehead against his arms. "Why did you come here, Finn?"

"I just wanted to talk," Finn responded.

Mike chuckled.

"Talk? What's there to talk about?"

"Anything. I'm just trying to help here, Mike. We both have someone under Cypher's grasp. But you being locked up in here is only putting us at a disadvantage. I need to know that if we ever decide to let you out, you won't do anything rash."

Mike changed his view to the camera looking at them from the corner of the room then went back to Finn.

"Cypher has eyes and ears everywhere," he said. "If I were to try and do anything that even remotely resembles helping you, he won't hesitate to kill Ethan. I can't risk that. Right now, since I'm locked away and can't do anything, he'll most likely still be alive. But as soon as I get the chance to fight…I have to take it."

"This a secure place, Mike. For all we know, Cypher might even think you're dead."

Mike turned his back to Finn and slid down the glass until he was sitting down.

"You haven't seen what I've seen, Finn. Cypher is…crueler than you can possibly imagine. Compared to what he's done to other people, you've been getting off easy. He tortures you, but not with pain. That's Terrance's area of expertise. No, he messes with your mind. No one is more manipulative than him. All he needs is the right scenario and the right words, and he can turn an entire army against its own leaders and take command of it for his own, just like with the fire army down on Earth. Combined with his near invincibility in combat…this man cannot be beaten. And that's what makes him so terrifying."

"So you're saying you're afraid of him?"

"And so should you," Mike replied while turning his head. "If you continue down this path…if _all_ of the Sentinels continue down this path, it will mean your death. Trust me, I hate Cypher more than anyone, but even I can face reality."

"What reality is that?" Finn asked.

"That you can't beat the Syndicate. No one can. My advice: since Cypher's grudge is with Olympia, just take Phoebe and Christine with you and go. Everyone in the city wants you dead anyway. Why stay behind and help those who loathe you?"

Finn stayed silent for a moment as he sat with his back against the glass as well.

"I can't do that, Mike," he said. "The people down on Earth, they're my friends; my family. But so are the ones here. Christine, Phoebe, and all other Sentinels…they're my family. And I don't abandon my family. You have more experience than me at how it feels to have loved ones close to you."

"And now they're dead," Mike replied while standing up from the ground. Finn sighed and stood up as well.

"Would you want your wife to see you like this?" Finn asked. "Just lying here giving up and doing nothing to save her son?"

Finn was startled when Mike turned and punched the glass. Luckily, there was not a single scratch on it.

"Don't you dare!" Mike shouted. "Don't you dare bring my wife into this. She's gone. No point in worrying over what the dead think."

"You _should_ worry. Because if you ever truly loved her, you would never give up to save the child the two of you raised together."

Mike grinded his teeth in rage.

"Get out…" he said softly, and then punched the glass again. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Finn stared at Mike for a few seconds longer, but said nothing else as he turned around and began to make his way out of the room. He turned back to face Mike one more time before going through the door he had left open on his way in. After closing it, the light over the code pad turned red, and the door locked itself once more.

Surprisingly, it took him several seconds after exiting to notice Phoebe was standing next to the door, with her arm resting on the frame. Her face indicated she must have been standing there for a while now.

"How much did you hear?" Finn asked, not looking at her directly.

"Enough," was her only response. "Do you think there's any way of helping him?"

"There's nothing I can say to him to change his mind. He really believes Cypher will keep his word and return Ethan after he kills me."

"But what other alternative is there? Considering that Ethan is even still alive."

"We get him back from wherever he's hold up."

Phoebe narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"How?" she asked. "If I recall correctly, we don't know where they are."

"If they're able to continue their attacks on Olympia over short spans of time, then it would make sense they were close."

"You mean in the city itself?"

"Possibly, though I highly doubt it. We already took out their headquarters in Ruby District and before we became wanted people, the Vanguard was sent to investigate any strange sightings in all other districts. There's a very slight chance, but I don't think they're still in the city."

"Still, that leaves an entire planet below us where they could possibly be. There could be another underwater base, inside a volcano, under the earth and…" She sighed. "I just don't see this ending any time soon. Or worse, it'll end with us losing."

"Hey," Finn said while placing his hand over her cheek. "That's not gonna happen, alright? Mike might think Cypher is unbeatable, but he's not. He's just another human in a city filled with thousands. All it takes is one good opening for my sword and he's gone."

Phoebe placed her own hand over Finn's.

"But that opening seems smaller as time passes. Soon there won't be any."

"It may be getting smaller, but it will never go away completely. Trust me. We'll figure this out together. We always do."

Phoebe smiled and leaned up to kiss him. After separating, Finn noticed that her smile went away quickly. It was clear there was something bothering her. He noticed that when she walked into the room with Sasha earlier, but he never said anything then.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Phoebe jolted as if she had been pulled from some sort of trance.

"Huh? Oh, it's…it's nothing, Finn."

"Hey." Finn leaned in closer. "You know that if something is bothering you, you can tell me, right? I promise I won't judge no matter what it is."

Phoebe still seemed hesitant. For a little while at least.

"It's Sasha," she said.

Finn leaned back out, suddenly worried.

"What about Sasha?" he asked.

"She's-"

Right before Phoebe could continue saying anything else, a nearby explosion practically shook the entire building. Based on the force of the blast, it must have come from inside the building itself.

"What was that?!" Phoebe asked as she regained her balance.

" _Finn, Phoebe!"_ Angie called out through the radio on their suits.

"What's going on?" Finn asked.

" _There's something happening inside Mike's room!"_

Finn and Phoebe looked at each other briefly before Finn punched in the code to open the door again. As soon as it unlocked, the two went inside, only to be met with a room filled to the brim with smoke from the sire that was beginning to spread around it.

In the center of the room, a large hole had been blow into the floor. An alarm was going off inside the room and a red light was flashing on the ceiling; it was the lockdown alarm Angie had told them about. Shards of glass were spread all across the floor, the same glass that was supposedly unbreakable. While the smoke was making it hard to see, Finn and Phoebe managed to see the outline of something big standing in front of Mike's glass prison.

When it stepped into out into the open, they were taken back to see that it was Gex, who was holding an unconscious Mike in its right hand. It was smaller than the Gex they fought before, which made it easy for it to move around without bumping into any tight corridors. Its left hand was replaced with some sort of cannon, but from the cannon protruded a sword that seemed to be made of fire. But the most shocking feature of all was the source of its flames.

"Finn…that's…"

Phoebe did not need to say anything else. Finn already saw it.

The source of her powers, the red gem that once rested on her forehead, was not attached to the robots chest, allowing it to use its own powers of fire.

Its fire sword changed shape and turned into a chain, which it swung right at the duo. Both were able to jump out of the way in time before the chain burned away at the ground where they would have been standing.

After regaining her balance, Phoebe grinded her teeth and readied her sword.

"Hey, rust bucket!" she said, drawing the robot's attention. "That's mine!"

Instead of attacking them again, Gex tightened its grip on Mike and jumped down the same hole he had created to get in, landing a few floors below. Phoebe jumped in after it before Finn had the chance to say anything. Groaning, he readied his sword and jumped down the hole as well, nearly losing his balance when he landed on the floor a couple of levels down.

Phoebe was busy trying to hit Gex with her sword, but failing as the robots continued to block her with a shield made of fire. It pushed her back and made her slam against a wall. Luckily, her power armor kept her safe and got back up only seconds after.

Finn joined her in the attack as he circled around Gex's back while she attacked from the front. While it was able to block Phoebe's attack, it was only able to barely move out of the way of Finn's. While he was still successful in cutting off a chunk from its thigh, it was still operating completely without any hitches. Before they could attack again, Gex aimed for the floor and below open another hole, knocking the two of them back while it made its escape with Mike still in its grasp.

After getting back up on their feet, Finn and Phoebe quickly jumped back after it. But right when they landed, they were greeted with another blast as Gex blew yet another hole into the floor. This process went on no matter how much they tried to keep up, and in the end, they found themselves coming to a stop at the hangar, where the VTOL was kept.

It was hesitant at first, but Gex ultimately took the risk and blew another hole into the floor, and an immensely strong gust of wind entered through the newly formed crater leading to nothing but a thousand-plus feet drop. Right before Gex could drop from it however, the elevator opened and all of the Sentinels, including Scrap, came out.

"What's happening he-"

Gex interrupted Erik's question by raising its cannon and shooting a fireball in his direction. Luckily, everyone was able to jump out of the way in time before the blast shattered the wall like glass. While everyone was in their disoriented state, Gex turned and began to make its way towards the hole leading outside. Not wanting to let it escape, however, Phoebe readied her sword and ran toward it.

"Phoebe, wait!" Finn shouted, attempting to grab her before she could go. But he was too late.

Without being able to reach Gex in time before it jumped off, Phoebe raised her sword and threw it at the large automaton. But before it made contact, it summoned a flame shield and deflected the blade in another direction.

And the one standing in its way was Sasha.

Everything happened so fast. The sound of Sasha slamming against the wall behind her as she was impaled right through her chest filled the entire room, even with all of the wind entering through the hole in the ground. Everyone, especially Phoebe, could only stare in shock as she tried to pull out the blade, but all she managed to do was take a few steps forward and fall to her knees on the ground as a drop of blood ran down the side of her mouth.

"SASHA!" Erik shouted as he dropped his sword and ran to help her.

He held her in his arms just before her entire body fell to the floor. Everyone had remained so shocked of the ordeal, they had not noticed Gex had managed to get away with Mike.

Phoebe fell to the ground on her knees, crying, no doubt feeling extremely guilty for what happened. Finn knew it was not her intent, but it was too late now. It was clear to everyone Sasha's time was short, but Erik would still not give up.

"Sasha, you're…you're gonna be okay," Erik said, failing to hold back his tears. "Everything…you won't…"

It was painful to watch for Finn. Not just because one of his friends was dying right before him, but because it reminded him so much of when he held Nora in his arms. And he was terrified it would all end the same way.

With what little strength she had left, Sasha raised her hand and cupped Erik's cheek in it. And despite all of the pain she must have been going through, she found it in herself to speak.

"Erik…" she said weakly. "I…love…"

She had not time left to finish. Her hand dropped back down to the floor as her eyes slowly closed for good.

Phoebe covered her mouth and began to cry even louder, covering the sounds of Erik's own soft crying as he pulled Sasha closer to him.

It seemed like forever went by before he let her body gently fall to the floor. He remained on his knees, sounding like even his crying had stopped. From their current angle, Finn and Phoebe could not tell what his face must have looked like.

"Erik?" Angie asked, wiping away her own tears.

"This…" Erik said softly while raising his head. "This is…"

Finn felt his blood run cold as Erik turned to face Phoebe, with nothing but pure hatred present in his eyes.

"YOUR FAULT!"

* * *

 **Note:** **To be honest, I was planning to upload this chapter a few days ago, but I figured it would be better off to wait until the 29** **th** **, which marks the One Year Anniversary since this story was first published on the site. It really is mind boggling that it's been that long. It feels like I started yesterday.**

 **On a side note, I also didn't get the chance last time to thank you all for helping this story reach a hundred reviews. Reading what you all think and the tips to help me improve is what keeps me writing. And most importantly, thank you for putting up with my long waiting times for these chapters. But enough rambling. Bleh!**

 **-Fiery Crusader: Oh, my inspiration is far from gone, don't you worry.**

 **-Ooobserver: I've noticed that as well. Guess we shall see.**

 **Next Chapter: Ignition of Vengeance**


	33. Chapter 33: Ignition of Vengeance

**Chapter 33: Ignition of Vengeance**

"ERIK, CALM DOWN!"

Finn tried his best to calm the enraged Sentinel as he and Alan held him back. Despite the obvious threat of being injured, Phoebe never even flinched when he began running towards her. In fact, she seemed to be completely fine with accepting the punishment Erik wanted to bestow upon her. All she could do was remain with her knees against the ground as her tear drops fell from her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Finn and Alan continuously struggled as Erik kicked and screamed for them to let go of his arms. It was extremely fortunate that his sword had been dropped on the ground. Victor, Elaine, and Scrap all kept their distance, but were prepared to jump in if the situation got too ugly. Angie on the other hand, was currently watching over Sasha's body.

"Why?!" Erik screamed at Phoebe. "Even after Finn told you to stay back, you went ahead and threw your sword as if it was a toy! AND NOW SASHA IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Erik, this isn't her fault!" Finn said. "She had no idea that Gex would be able to deflect her sword away, much less that it would have stabbed someone! If you're gonna be angry at something, be mad at IT!"

The look of anger was ever present in his eyes, but his kicking died down.

"I loved her..." he breathed.

"I know, man," Alan said in the most comforting tone he could muster. "But she loved you too. You really think she would've wanted to see you like this? Trying to fight one of your own comrades?"

"Comrades?!" Erik screamed as his anger began to build once more. "Look around you! We aren't comrades! We're just a band of disgraced soldiers with no other purpose than to survive. That's what this is all about at this point; survival! Every single time the Syndicate strikes, they always win and we're left crawling in the dirt. There's only eight of us against them; seven if you don't count the damn robot! Plus, everyone in the city wants us dead for a crime we didn't commit. How is there even the slightest chance that we can win when we've lost so much in the process of getting here?!"

"So you're just gonna let Cypher get away with everything he's done?!" Finn asked. "We give up and the lives of everyone we lost on the way here will be for nothing. Is that what you want? For Sasha's death to mean nothing?"

"Does it matter?! She's gone...and it's all your girlfriend's fault!"

Right before Finn could continue his struggle to talk some sense into his friend, a fist appeared from the side that hit Erik's face, with enough force to knock the three Sentinels to the ground. Finn and Alan were pushed away before they could get a good look at who the fist belonged to, but it was made clear when Victor knelt down to Erik's position on the ground and lifted his head by the collar.

"Son, look at me," he said calmly.

Erik only stared at the ground with his non-black eye, all while tears continued to stream from both. He only looked up when Victor called for his attention a second time.

"What?" Erik asked, now sounding sad instead of angry.

"None of this is Phoebe's fault. Understand? This isn't anyone's fault…except mine. Everything Cypher does to harm people is all on me. I was the one who practically raised him, and now he's nothing more than a maniac running amok. Sasha's death is my fault. The queen's death is my fault. Everyone's death us my fault. So if you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at me. But don't you start losing it on me, soldier. I can promise you, the day will come when Cypher finally pays for everything he's done. And when that day comes, I expect you to be there when we avenge the death of those we've lost. But if you die on the way, die fighting, not crying like a toddler on the dirt. Can you really call yourself a Sentinel if you give up now? Do you think Sasha would have wanted that?"

Erik had no answer. All he could do was stay on the ground and wipe the remaining tears from his eyes. Everyone else just stood around, looking, with Finn moving to comfort the still shocked Phoebe and Scrap helping Angie, Alan, and Elaine move Sasha's body to a more comfortable position. Once Erik seemed to have calmed down, Victor helped him back up from the ground, tapping him on both shoulders.

"Now come on," he said to everyone. "We have to start rebuilding and fortifying this place. After this attack, I'll have every single nook and cranny searched for any potential entry points."

"But sir…" Elaine began.

"No 'buts', Elaine. We can't show weakness, even for a second. Otherwise, we're lost. Let's move it!"

"What about Mike?" Finn asked. "Are we just gonna let them take him?!"

"They have an extra man now and we have one less Sentinel," Victor replied. "And we have no idea where they went. All we can do is continue our duty here in Olympia for the time being. Now again, to work, people!"

No one else continued to question it, but Finn still felt rage burning within him for his failure of keeping Mike in their custody. And as for Erik…there was no telling how he felt. His face was blank and devoid of any clear emotion.

Not wanting her to see Sasha's body any longer, Finn gently helped Phoebe up from the ground and walked her to the elevator, with her looking down at the ground the entire time. The entire lower part of her eyes was gray from all of the crying she had been doing, and there were still tears running down her cheeks even now. Despite calling her name several times, she never looked at Finn, and eventually he gave up until the elevator stopped at the upper floors.

The dog that Erik had brought inside, Rowdy, was lying on top of one of the sofas, licking one of his paws. He stopped once the two of them stepped out of the elevator, and the look on his face suggested he could sense something was off.

Finn took Phoebe to her room and sat her down at the edge of the bed. She had not said a single word on the way, and it was starting to worry him. He decided to sit next to her and ran his fingers gently across her hair.

"Phoebe?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"

It was a stupid question to ask. Of course she was not okay. But Finn was willing to try anything at this point to get something out of her.

Then, without warning, she threw at him, wrapped her arms around him tightly, and began to cry into his shoulder louder than he had ever heard her cry before.

"It's…my…fault!" she said in between heavy breaths.

Finn wrapped his own arms around her.

"No it's not, Phoebe," he told her firmly. "It was an accident. You had no way of knowing Sasha would be in the way of that sword. Everything that happened here today was all because of that robot. It was because of Cypher. But not you. Sasha's death will _not_ go unpunished. I swear."

After her crying began to soften, Phoebe raised her head to look at him. Her face was slightly red.

"But…I didn't just…kill Sasha…"

Needless to say, Finn was confused about what she was referring to.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

It was clear Phoebe was struggling to find the right words to use. She kept stuttering over her words every time she tried to start a sentence, only to be immediately replaced with the uneven breathing whenever she tried to calm herself down.

"I overheard Victor talking with her earlier and…she was…" She let loose a few extra tears before she could speak again. "She was-"

"Pregnant," said Victor as he opened the door and walked into the room. "She and Erik were always close."

Finn was at a loss for words. He could suddenly understand why Phoebe was as broken as she was.

"W-what?" he stuttered. "Please tell me it isn't…"

Victor sighed and walked further in, standing straight before the two of them.

"Would I lie about something like this, Finn? She and Erik were always close. I just didn't expect anything to come of it giving our situation. But even if I had taken extra precaution to prevent such irresponsible acts, the outcome would've been the same. She's dead, and nothing can bring her back. Now we just gotta make sure Erik keeps his head in the game."

"So you're saying we shouldn't tell him anything?!"

"Under no circumstances. Erik is already on edge and I won't have him lose it any further. He was _this_ close to attacking Phoebe down in that hangar. Imagine what he would do if he found out that she not only killed the person he loved, but also his unborn child." Victor rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know it seems cruel, but until this entire situation is resolved, we cannot say a single word about this to Erik. Understand?"

Finn looked back to Phoebe. She was lying down with her face buried into the pillow on the bed. Even if he was against it, he could keep the secret from Erik if necessary. But it was hard to say the same thing for her. This was someone who spent years of her life ruling over a kingdom built solely on honesty and no secrets. And while that situation was taken care of after the fighting in Ooo had ended, was it impossible to imagine her still having a grudge against secrets? If she did, keeping the truth to herself would prove challenging, and Finn wondered if he had the will to keep her in check.

Frustrated, Finn led Victor out of the room so they could speak without Phoebe hearing.

"I'm guessing you want me to keep an eye on her as well?" Finn asked.

"That would be wise, and it would make sense considering you only have one eye."

"Did you just try making a joke?"

"No, I'm just simply stating what's there. But overall, I think you know as well as I do that we can't fully trust Phoebe to keep a secret like this. Especially in her current condition. It's been more than a year since the two of you came back from fighting in the surface, but the events of the past might still weigh on her."

"What past?"

Victor turned and paced a few steps away.

"When you first arrived in Olympia, I told you we had been keeping an eye on you for a while. But I wasn't just talking about you, Finn. We've been keeping an eye on everyone close to you as well. Not just Phoebe, but also your dog, Jake; the candy princess, Bonnibel; Marceline the 'vampire'. These are just a few. I know a lot more about your life than you think I do. There were even times when I thought that maybe…you might have been Nora's son. But I always waved those feelings off because I wanted you for a single purpose: your skills as a warrior. But casting those skills aside, I also saw many flaws."

He turned to face Finn once more.

"You ask what past I'm talking about. I'm talking about the past when you were still an immature child and nearly caused wholesale destruction by pitting two very powerful elementals against each other just for the fun of it; her and Simon Petrikov. And I'm sorry to say this, but if you ever plan to fill Seph's shoes, you still have a lot to learn whether you believe it or not. If you had avoided your feelings, then maybe…"

After Victor trailed off, Finn approached.

"Maybe what?!"

Their eyes met, and Victor sighed.

"Then maybe your mother would still be alive," he said.

Finn stuttered over some of his words, trying to comprehend what Victor was telling him.

"Are you saying…Mom getting killed was _my_ fault?"

"Yes," Victor replied without a moment of hesitation. "Cypher wielded the blade, but what should have been a night dedicated to nothing but protecting the queen, you went off with Phoebe and ended up putting her in peril. I've been very nice to you, Finn, but don't think for a second that I'm not disappointed in your actions. Because of your immature feelings towards a girl, you killed your own-"

Victor had no time to finish his thought. Finn's fist was already heading full-force towards his head.

The older human managed move out of the way just in time before facing the impact of the blow. As the other was thrown off balance from hitting nothing, he took the opportunity to bring his own leg around for a powerful kick.

Finn was unable to move his arms in time to soften the blow, and he was sent spiraling towards a nearby wall, face first. Luckily, he was able to put both of arms in front of himself just in time to avoid direct contact with his face against the cement, but the kick had been just powerful enough to make his limbs break through the hard material nonetheless. But using his own strength to pull them out was unnecessary, for victor was already grabbing and throwing him against the opposite side of the wall.

As being the leader of the Sentinels, Finn knew Victor would be a good fighter, but the speed at which he moved was something else entirely. It was clear his blows were not meant to seriously injure, but each unavoidable swing the younger human took to his chest and abdomen were enough to knock all air clear out of him.

Attempting to dodge each hit seemed almost like a fruitless effort, but he tried anyway. There were instances when he was able to successfully move out of the way or with his forearms, but whenever he tried to return a blow, Victor was able to move out of the way with ease.

Even after feeling like this was a losing fight, through either skill or pure luck, Fin was able to grab one of the incoming fists and held it tightly in his own. The same followed with the other, and the beating quickly became a test of endurance as the two Sentinels pushed each other back and forth, trying to gain an advantage over the other.

' _Immature,'_ Finn almost chuckled. _'Then why are you still struggling with me? It should've taken you seconds to bring me down, even while taking it easy.'_

Using all the might he had left in him, Finn placed his feet firmly on the ground and pushed himself forward, making Victor have to move his own legs back in order to avoid tumbling to the ground. But that was his first mistake.

When one of his legs came within reach, Finn quickly stopped his pushing and swung one of his own towards it, and the two of them began to fall. Right before they hit the floor, however, Finn let go of one of Victors hands, and with a quick motion, Finn placed one leg behind both of his opponent's and the other in front. When they did hit the ground, Finn was located underneath Victor, but the positioning of his limbs made it near impossible for him to kick free. And with his free hand, he took hold of the older human's neck with his arm, while his other hand still held on tightly to the other.

With only one hand free, Victor tried to reach behind himself to reach Finn's head, but all he did was make it worse for himself as he lost breath the more he struggled.

"You may have skill in hand-to-hand combat and swordfighting, Victor," Finn said. "But tell me, have you ever done a single day of wrestling in your life?!"

It seemed like Victor tried to reply, but was unable to. Finn just kept talking.

"You can judge me all you want; I know I have a lot to learn. And yes, I can only hope to reach half of the prowess Seph had when fighting. But you yourself said you brought me in for my skills as a warrior. Well one of those skills, Victor, is that I can easily spot the weakness in almost anyone or anything I fight. So, a word of advice, if you mean to fight me, or ever even _think_ of blaming me for Cypher's crimes, you better give it your all instead of holding back, because I will never be brought down so easily. Never again!"

"FINN!"

Phoebe's voice made Finn turn his head to its source, and he saw her kneeling right next to him, trying to pull his arm off from Victor's throat.

"Finn, stop! That's too much!"

When he turned to see what she was talking about, he saw that Victor was on the verge of fainting from the lack of oxygen. He had completely forgotten he was wearing his power armor, and the force being applied was a lot more than what he was used to.

' _Oh Glob, what am I doing?!'_

He quickly unwrapped his arms and legs, allowing Victor to finally roll away and cough as he filled his lungs with air once more. Phoebe went to help him, her eyes, reddened from crying, staring back at the young human with nothing but shock.

Finn, still on the ground as well, took a moment to notice just how close he came to killing Victor. And when he looked at his hands, he noticed they were now shaking.

"Victor…" he said softly. "I-"

"What's all the damn commotion?!"

Finn and Phoebe both turned their heads to see Alan, Elaine, and Erik making their way towards them from further down the hall. The twins moved quickly once they spotted Victor out of breath, but Erik kept walking at a slow pace, with the pain from the previous ordeal still very much present in his gaze.

"What did you do?" Elaine asked as she knelt to give Victor a hand. All eyes were suddenly on Finn.

"I…I didn't mean to," he managed to say.

"Didn't mean to?!" Alan and Elaine both exclaimed at once.

Alan pointed at the bruises around Victor's neck. "Then how do you explain that?!"

Finn opened his mouth to give an explanation, but he was unable to get a single word out before the sound of soft laughter began to fill the hall.

Everyone turned towards the direction of the sound, and all eyes grew wide when they saw it was Victor who was laughing. It was a soft chuckle at first, but then it began to grow louder, until eventually it was loud enough to echo across the entire room.

"Surprised" was an understatement. Finn had never heard Victor laugh before. And judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, they had never heard a laugh coming from him either. If it wasn't for the fact that his throat was no doubt sore at the moment, he would have been laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke in history. But the pain made him stop after a few seconds, and he began to rub his throat with his hand as he wrapped his other around Elaine for support as he stood up.

"You're right, Finn," he said, in a voice made hoarse from the recent ordeal. "You do have a lot learn. But never let it be said you don't have guts. Not anyone would've just decided to start attacking me while knowing the risks. You may be able to honor Seph's memory soon enough after all."

Finn was at a loss for words. But as he stayed on the ground, thinking about everything he had just heard, Victor extended his arm and offered to help him off the ground.

The young human accepted, and he was quickly at level with Victor's eyes. There was a sort of happiness in them that Finn had only seen once before, when the two of them flew over Olympia for the first time shortly after he had woken up. To see that sort of happiness again despite everything that had transpired, it was a strange feeling.

But the feeling was gone soon enough, when Finn was caught unaware and Victor punched him hard across the face, knocking him down to the ground once more. Phoebe quickly moved to help him back up, and Victor chuckled some more.

"But don't ever try to hit me again," he said. He turned to the other Sentinels. "Where's Angie?"

"In the main room with Scrap," Alan answered. "We…brought Sasha's body up."

Finn looked to Erik, expecting some sort of facial response to hearing the name, but his face was just blank and soulless as before.

Victor nodded. "Very well. I should probably go and assist her in any way. Everyone, back to work."

Everyone agreed, and Victor walked off with Elaine supporting him. Alan followed behind, then Finn along with Phoebe. But before they could catch up to the others, Finn felt a hand being placed on top of his shoulder from behind.

When he turned, he saw Erik, with his eyes looking towards nothing in particular.

"Finn," he said softly, "can we talk for a moment? Alone?"

Finn turned to Phoebe, unsure of how to act. She lightly nodded her head, and continued to walk away with the rest of the group.

Once the two of them were the only one left, Erik looked towards both ends of the hallway before speaking.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," he said. "But you can't tell another soul. Not even Phoebe or Victor. Is that understood?"

Finn was confused. "Huh? What is it?"

Erik looked around once more. "I've been having this strange feeling over the past few months, but I wasn't entirely sure if I should've openly told the entire group. But…after what happened today…I have to fully consider the possibility."

Finn moved slightly closer. "What possibility?"

"I fully understand what happened to Sasha wasn't Phoebe's fault. It was the Syndicate's. I was just letting rage get the better of me. But I have to wonder, _How?_ How is it that they can keep launching these kinds of attacks against us again and again without us knowing?! My gut tells me your cause is true, Finn, and we've been good friends for a while, so I'm fully trusting you with what I'm about to say." He moved even closer. "I think one of our own is a damn traitor."

Finn's gaze widened, his mind suddenly racing with all sorts of thoughts. Erik was in great pain; it was still obvious in his eyes. But then again, he raised a good point. So many times the Syndicate was able to attack from right under their noses, and so many times they did so through means that defied explanation. Yet the very thought that one of the people he had grown to admire over time would purposefully work for the enemy was enough to make his stomach turn. Mike had fought for them, but it was for the sake of his son, not for his own. He could only hope that if Erik was right, the person responsible was doing so under similar circumstances.

"Erik," Finn finally said, "I won't deny it's possible, but how can we be sure?"

"We snoop around. If someone in this building is somehow sending messages to the Syndicate, they have to be doing it from somewhere. A place the rest of us would probably never think to look. If we can find something, anything that could give us a lead, we may be able to put a stop to their operations. We can finally prove ourselves innocent. We can…we can get revenge for everything they've done."

It hurt Finn to see Erik like this. Everything he was saying was true, but he was acting out of hatred more than justice. And Finn had been around long enough to know that that was never a good thing.

"Okay, Erik," he replied. "We'll snoop around. But discreetly. We don't want the others getting wind of this, okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we'll do some digging whenever we get a chance. And we'll find whoever's responsible."

Finn gave him a tap on the shoulder, and the two began to walk back towards the main room. But along the way, he felt a great uneasiness creep its way up his spine.

' _A traitor among us.'_ He shivered. _'But who?'_

* * *

 **Note: For a more detailed explanation as to why updating took so unbearably long, check my profile. For now, just know that I'm back and still plan to finish this story in one way or another, along with Art of Dreams.**

 **While on the subject of Art of Dreams, would those of you who read that fanfic like it if it became a Finn/Phoebe/Huntress story? (Not that Finn ends up with both, just as an extra potential love interest). A few of you have already stated you wouldn't mind, and honestly, I'd love a shot at writing with Huntress' character a lot more than originally planned, especially with her many cool appearances in recent episodes.**

 **-Fiery Crusader: We can always count on him to fight on. We shall see if he prevails.**

 **-Guest: Okay.**

 **-Ooobserver: That whole chapter was just a fraction of how dark I had planned to make some parts of this story, but most of them would not have fit the T rating, unfortunately (I tend to be messed up at times).**

 **Next Chapter: A Sheep among Wolves**


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